The Indianapolis Colts really need help at cornerback. Kenny Moore might miss a few weeks with an Achilles injury, and free agent acquisition Xavien Howard has been terrible. So what does Indy do ahead of Week 5? It signs a linebacker, of course.
Questions abound with the move, but the main one might be why? Buddy Johnson was on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad until Indianapolis signed him to its roster. A corresponding move will have to be made to add Johnson, but who might be released is unknown.
Johnson doesn't truly take the place of any linebacker getting many defensive reps, and there are a lot of them. Zaire Franklin is a constant, of course, but next to him at the inside linebacker spot has been a carousel of Joe Bachie, Cameron McGrone, Austin Ajiake, and Chad Muma. None of whom has been very good.
Indianapolis Colts sign Buddy Johnson from the Cowboys practice squad
Johnson, though, was chosen in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021, but he was a Cowboy by 2023. The linebacker clearly didn't impress defensive coaches enough to get on the field as he has only seen 14 defensive snaps in his career, and 10 of those have been on rushing downs.
It is on special teams that Johnson has been a star. He logged 321 snaps in 2024. This would imply the move by the Colts was more to make special teams coordinator Brian Mason happy than anything to do with Lou Anarumo. Unless, of course, Indy is going to try Johnson at linebacker, and that would be a mistake.
He has never proven himself, and expecting him to suddenly go from not playing much since 2021 to being effective defensively in 2025 is a stretch. Perhaps, general manager Chris Ballard does not like what he is seeing from Indy's special teams.
The next question is who is removed from the roster to make room for Johnson. Colts fans will learn that soon enough, but shouldn't expect a massive change. Adding Buddy Johnson doesn't mean Howard is going to suddenly be released. Instead, a player buried on the depth chart is likely to go.