INDIANAPOLIS – The waiting game didn't last 24 hours.
On Monday afternoon, Chuck Pagano talked about the hope that could return for the 2014 season.
However, that wait ended on Tuesday when the Colts placed Bradshaw on injured reserve due to a fractured fibula.
Pagano had this to say on Monday about Bradshaw…
"He's been seen by our doctors, our specialists and he's going to see a couple more. I'll have more information in the coming days," Pagano said on Monday afternoon.
"It kills you because he's a warrior. He loves football. He loves his teammates. He loves the (Horseshoe). He loves competing….We are going to miss his energy, his passion, everything he brings to the table."
With six games left in the 2014 regular season and a possible playoff run following that, the Colts will wait for a more concrete answer on Bradshaw's timetable before deciding what to do with his roster spot.
"We've got a lot of football left, that's why we are keeping our fingers crossed," Pagano said.
Without Bradshaw, expect Boom Herron to slide into the No. 2 running back role which opens up a spot on special teams.
That will be filled by Josh Cribbs, who the Colts signed on Tuesday.
Joining Cribbs on the 53-man roster will be tight end Welsye Saunders.
Over the last three years, Saunders has spent time with the Colts and provides tight end depth with the uncertainty of Dwayne Allen's ankle injury.
Here's a rundown of the Colts roster moves from Tuesday…
The Indianapolis Colts today signed free agent return specialist Josh Cribbs and free agent tight end Weslye Saunders to the active roster. The team placed running back Ahmad Bradshaw on Injured Reserve and waived outside linebacker Victor Butler.
The Colts also signed running back Michael Hill to the practice squad and released wide receiver Eric Thomas from the practice squad.
Cribbs, 6-1, 192 pounds, is a three-time Pro Bowl selection (2007, 2009, 2012), two-time NFL All-Pro selection (2007, 2009) and a member of the NFL All-Decade Team (2000s). He leads all active players in career kickoff returns and yards and ranks fifth in NFL history in combined kickoff/punt return touchdowns with 11. Cribbs ranks third all-time in kickoff return yards (10,505), tied for fifth in kickoff returns (407) and fifth (12,755) in combined kick/punt return yards. He shares an NFL record with nine other players for kickoff return touchdowns in a game, with two in a 2009 win at Kansas City. He also owns two of the top four days ever recorded by an NFL returner: 306 combined kickoff/punt return yards in a 2007 contest against Baltimore and 305 in a 2009 trip to Kansas City.
Now in his 10th NFL season (2005-2014), Cribbs has returned 407 kickoffs for 10,505 yards and eight touchdowns to go along with 203 punt returns for 2,250 yards and three touchdowns. Offensively, he has started 31-of-130 career games played and has totaled 109 receptions for 1,167 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing 141 times for 808 yards and two touchdowns.
Saunders, 6-5, 261 pounds, re-joins the Colts after being waived on August 30, 2014. He was originally signed by the Colts as a free agent on October 16, 2012. While with the team from 2012-13, he totaled six receptions for 61 yards in 17 games played (five starts). For his career, he has caught 10 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown in 33 games (11 starts). Saunders entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011.
Bradshaw played in 10 games (one start) this season and recorded 90 rushing attempts for 425 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with 38 receptions for 300 yards and a career-high six receiving touchdowns. His receiving touchdown total led all running backs in 2014 and tied for the fifth-highest single-season total by a running back in franchise history. For his career, Bradshaw has tallied 1,052 rushes for 4,843 yards and 36 touchdowns and 177 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in 97 games played (36 starts).
