Gray, Lorenzen Among Twenty Players Released By Colts Saturday
INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts ended up only keeping two quarterbacks after all.
Jared Lorenzen and Quinn Gray, a pair of veteran quarterbacks signed just before 2008 Training Camp, each were released Saturday afternoon – two of the 22 roster moves announced as the team trimmed its roster to the season-opening 53 mandated by the NFL.
The twenty players released:
Wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, defensive tackle Joe Bradley, defensive end Jeff Charleston, safety Brannon Condren, defensive tackle Dan Davis, offensive tackle Tala Esera, defensive tackle Colin Ferrell, defensive back Brandon Foster, wide receiver Sam Giguere, Gray, defensive end Ben Ishola, wide receiver Onrea Jones, running back Kenton Keith, Lorenzen, offensive tackle Darren Marquez, linebacker Kyle Shotwell, running back Chad Simpson, tight end Tyrice Thompson, offensive tackle Michael Toudouze and linebacker Victor Worsley.
The Colts as of Friday had 75 players on the roster.
They also placed two veterans – starting offensive guard Ryan Lilja and starting linebacker Tyjuan Hagler – on the Physically Unable to Perform List. The team will have the option of activating those players six weeks into the regular season.
Lorenzen, a backup with the New York Giants the past four seasons, and Gray – a reserve with the Jacksonville Jaguars the past five seasons – were the focus of much attention throughout the preseason.
Under Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, the Colts typically have kept two quarterbacks on the active roster, and the past four seasons, those two quarterbacks have been eight-time Pro Bowl selection Peyton Manning and backup Jim Sorgi.
But with Manning missing the preseason after offseason knee surgery and Sorgi missing the final two preseason games with a knee injury, Dungy said in recent weeks the team could keep two, three or four quarterbacks on the final roster.
Manning returned to practice this past week and Dungy said on Friday Sorgi likely will be available next week.
Also among those released were six players who played for the Colts last regular season – Aromashodu, Charleston, Condren, Keith, Toudouze and Worsley.
Aromashodu caught seven passes for 96 yards last season, while Charleston started three games and had a sack. Condren, a fourth-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, had two preseason interceptions and two regular-season tackles last season.
Keith, who signed with the Colts as a free agent in the 2007 offseason after four years in the Canadian Football League, started one game last season, rushing for 533 yards and three touchdowns on 121 carries.
Toudouze, originally a fifth-round selection by the Colts in the 2006 NFL Draft, spent much of the 2006 season on the team's practice squad. He played four games last season.
Worsley played three games for the Colts last season.
All nine players selected in the 2008 NFL Draft – guard Mike Pollak, linebacker Philip Wheeler, tight end Jacob Tamme, defensive end Marcus Howard, running back Mike Hart, wide receiver Pierre Garcon, guard Steve Justice and center/guard Jamey Richard – made the 53-man roster, as did four rookie free agents: defensive end Curtis Johnson, linebacker Jordan Senn, safety Jamie Silva and defensive tackle Eric Foster.
Wide receiver Courtney Roby, who signed as a free agent in the offseason after two seasons with the Tennessee Titans, also made the 53-man roster.
