Colts make roster shuffle ahead of Sunday’s game vs Packers
By Jerry Trotta
In the wake of Denico Autry hitting the shelf, the Colts made slight tweaks to their roster ahead of Sunday’s game against Green Bay.
Indianapolis Colts fans were dealt some discouraging news heading into the weekend when the team announced that defensive lineman Denico Autry was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list after he missed practice on Thursday with an illness.
The move makes Autry unavailable for Sunday’s showdown against Green Bay, and to say that his absence will be felt would be an understatement, as he leads the team with six sacks and only trails DeForest Buckner for the team lead in quarterback hits.
Autry landing on the shelf opened up a roster spot and the Colts unsurprisingly adjusted accordingly by shuffling their roster. As a direct replacement for the 30-year-old vet, Indy promoted center Joey Hunt to the active roster.
In addition, the likes of defensive lineman Cassius Marsh and Rob Windsor made the jump from the practice squad to the active roster, putting the Colts’ total number of players at 55 for Sunday’s game.
We have elevated C Joey Hunt to the active roster from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 21, 2020
We have also elevated DE Cassius Marsh and DT Rob Windsor to the active roster from the practice squad for #GBvsIND.
Hunt was a former sixth-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2016, and has appeared in 34 games (11 starts) across his career since then. He was signed to Indianapolis’ practice squad in September and has spent all of his time there since the start of the season. Barring something truly catastrophic, fans shouldn’t expect him to play much of a role against the Packers.
Ironically enough, Marsh is also a former draft pick by Seattle (2014) and latched onto the Colts’ practice squad last month after starting the season with Jacksonville. The seven-year pro actually made his debut for Indianapolis last week against the Titans, tallying an impressive four tackles despite playing just seven defensive snaps.
Given that promising cameo, we can absolutely picture a scenario where Marsh sees the field for a healthier snap count vs the Packers.
Transactions:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 21, 2020
— The #Browns activated OT Jack Conklin and K Cody Parkey from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
— The #Colts activated C Joey Hunt from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement and elevated DE Cassius Marsh and DT Rob Windsor.
Windsor is the only one of the trio who actually has ties to the Colts, as GM Chris Ballard used a sixth-round pick on him this past April. Over his final two seasons at Penn State, he racked up 34 tackles (15 for loss) and 10 sacks, which is pretty remarkable for an interior lineman when you think about it.
The 23-year-old rookie has yet to appear in a game for Indianapolis but that could all change on Sunday — even in a game with huge playoff implications — in the wake of Autry hitting the shelf with an illness.
There you have it, folks. Now that the latest roster tweaks are settled, bring on the Packers!
