Indianapolis Colts elevate Adam Gotsis and David Long Jr. to active roster

As the Indianapolis Colts prepare to take on the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium, they'll be without two of their defenders. After being injured in their Week 3 victory over the Chicago Bears, Kenny Moore II and Kwity Paye were both ruled out for Sunday's game.

Head coach Shane Steichen made the announcement on Friday, while several other Colts on the injury report -- Tyquan Lewis, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith -- are still listed as questionable for Sunday. Paye suffered a quad injury and had to be helped off the field, while Moore suffered a hip injury. Neither have practiced this week.

Losing the two of them is a tough blow for a Colts defense that has been struggling so far this season, particularly in stopping the run. And the Colts are now without five of their starters on defense, as DeForest Buckner, Juju Brents, and Samson Ebukam are all injured as well.

The Colts announced today that they have elevated Adam Gotsis and David Long, Jr. to the active roster from the practice squad.

Gotsis was originally signed to the Denver Broncos in 2016, and in 2019, had to undergo knee surgery and was placed on injured reserve. He then signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars through 2024. In his last season with the Jaguars, he played all 17 games, and had 26 combined tackles, 4 pass deflections, and one sack. He was waived by the Jaguars in August, and signed to the Colts practice squad in September.

Throughout his entire NFL career, Gotsis has had 216 tackles (133 solo), 25 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 22 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and two special teams stops.

Long, Jr. was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, and played for the Rams in Super Bowl LVI, where he recorded four tackles during their win over the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2023, he was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders and released in November; he then was claimed off of waivers by the Carolina Panthers and then the Green Bay Packers before becoming a free agent. The New York Giants signed him in May and released him in August. The Colts signed him to their practice squad in September.

Long, Jr. has appeared in 66 NFL games, and amassed 94 tackles (81 solo), eight passes defensed, one interception, and two special teams stops.