INDIANAPOLIS – When the Colts cut to 53 players on Saturday afternoon, the attention turned to the waiver wire, where rumors had already started for potential fits coming to Indianapolis.
Former Colts center A.Q. Shipley was one of the names frequently mentioned.
Sure enough, 24 hours later, Shipley finds himself returning to Indianapolis.
The Colts claimed Shipley off waivers after he started nine times (in 16 games) for the Ravens last season.
Shipley will be playing in a new offense as he returns to a team that he started five games for in 2012. Whether it was at guard or center back in 2012, Shipley was key in the Colts interior.
Depending on the health of current centers Khaled Holmes (the hope is for him to practice Wednesday) and Jonotthan Harrison (thumb), Shipley could play a massive role in the season opener on Sunday night.
Real excited for another opportunity with the colts! Back to indy tonight! Cant wait to be back. pic.twitter.com/ARx4QYhPBX — AQ Shipley (@aqshipley) August 31, 2014
Overwhelmed at all the support from the people of indiana and fans of the colts! Im sooo excited to come back and help the colts win games! — AQ Shipley (@aqshipley) August 31, 2014
Colts Practice Squad Complete
Along with the Shipley news on Sunday afternoon, the Colts named their 10-man practice squad (two more spots this year on team's practice squads).
Here's a rundown of the Colts practice squad members:
OT-Tyler Hoover: What a last three weeks for Hoover. He transitioned from defensive line to offensive tackle and has clearly showed enough for the Colts to think there's something to work with in the trenches. Hoover, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State, played nearly 90 percent of the snaps in Week Four of the preseason.
ILB-Andrew Jackson: The Colts sixth round pick in 2014 finds himself on the practice squad. Jackson battled injuries throughout Training Camp and missed nearly two weeks of practice. Numbers were crowded at inside linebacker especially with guys like Henoc Muamba and Josh McNary impressing during the preseason.
WR-Ryan Lankford: You figured one undrafted receiver would make the Colts practice squad and Lankford survived that group. Lankford is a speedy receiver, who can return kicks as well. With the Colts keeping six receivers on the 53-man roster, two more joined the practice squad.
WR-Josh Lenz: For the second straight season, Lenz finds himself on the practice squad. Lenz had a pair of touchdowns in the final two preseason games and he showed fans what Colts coaches and players saw a ton at practice last year.
QB-Jeff Mathews: An undrafted free agent out of Cornell, Mathews rounds out the Colts quarterbacks room. Mathews was cut by Atlanta this offseason and has made some cameos on HBO's "Hard Knocks" series profiling the Falcons. After two years on the Colts practice squad, Chandler Harnish was waived and not re-signed.
S-Dewey McDonald: The Colts kept just four safeties on their active roster with McDonald joining the practice squad. Thanks to ideal safety frame and intelligence off the field, McDonald was an intriguing name on the Colts undrafted free agent list back in May.
DT-Nnamdi Obukwelu: The Harvard product was a bit over shadowed by fellow undrafted lineman Zach Kerr. Cleary, Obukwelu showed enough to makeup the lone defensive line spot on the practice squad.
CB-Sheldon Price: Price joins the practice squad for the second straight season. It was thought Price, Marcus Burley and Loucheiz Purifoy were vying for the final one or two corner spots. Purifoy won out in the end with Burley being traded to Seattle for a sixth round draft pick in 2015.
TE-Erik Swoope: The basketball-to-football project for Swoope takes a big jump with this signing. Swoope has put on nearly 30 pounds since the end of his college basketball career and feels comfortable at just north of 250 pounds. Can the Colts continue to mold Swoope into the next "power forward" on turf.
OG-Josh Walker: Walker was a guy that Ryan Grigson mentioned as impressing during camp. He gives the Colts an interior practice squad piece to go along with Hoover. In the 2014 UDFA class, the Colts found two interior guys to work with going forward in Jonotthan Harrison and Walker?
Excited to announce I signed w/ the @Colts practice squad Huge opportunity and blessed to be w/ a great organization! pic.twitter.com/R0G4Tstb3i — Tyler Hoover (@TylerHoover91) August 31, 2014
