Indianapolis Colts make three roster moves, bring back familiar face at defensive tackle
The Indianapolis Colts announced a trio of roster moves on Thursday afternoon, including bringing back a familiar face along the defensive line.
The Indianapolis Colts claimed defensive tackle Eric Johnson off waivers after he had been released by the New England Patriots.
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Johnson was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in the 2022 NFL draft. He was released during roster cutdowns last August and claimed on waivers at that time by the Patriots, where he spent the 2024 season.
Johnson would appear in 11 games on defense and play 178 snaps. During that span, Johnson would record four pressures and had a below-average run defense grade by PFF's metrics.
In Johnson's two seasons with the Colts in 2022 and 2023, he played 392 snaps, logging four pressures, while also not grading out well against the run.
What other roster moves did the Indianapolis Colts make?
Along with adding Johnson to the roster, the Colts waived safety Marcel Dabo. Dabo had been on the Colts' roster the previous three seasons as a designated International Pathway Player (IPP).
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He had played 114 preseason snaps on defense during that span with six tackles and spent those seasons on the practice squad under the IPP exemption.
The safety depth remains quite thin for the Colts. Behind Cam Bynum and Nick Cross on the depth chart are Rodney Thomas, Daniel Scott, and potentially Hunter Wohler, if he's not at linebacker.
The last move that the Colts made was designating tight end Maximillian Mang as their new IPP. Mang was originally signed recently as an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, where he was utilized mostly as a blocker.
With the IPP roster exemption, the Colts are able to carry 91 players on their roster through training camp rather than the usual 90.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Indianapolis Colts' roster moves: Team claims DT Eric Johnson
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