Latest news with #Colts'
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts' 2025 UDFA profiles: TE Maximilian Mang
Indianapolis Colts' 2025 UDFA profiles: TE Maximilian Mang Let's take a closer look at each of the Colts' UDFAs. Up next is Syracuse tight end Maximilian Mang. In addition to their eight draft picks, the Indianapolis Colts have also signed 15 undrafted rookies after the 2025 NFL draft to add to their 91-man offseason roster. Just as we did with each of the eight draft selections, let's take a closer look at each of the Colts' UDFAs. Up next is Syracuse tight end Maximilian Mang. Maximilian Mang's profile Height: 6-7 Weight: 267 College profile Breaking down Indianapolis Colts' UDFA signing Mang is from Potsdam, Germany, and grew up playing volleyball, but transitioned to playing club football in the German Football League. As Joel Erickson of the Indy Star would write, Mang began as a wide receiver before transitioning to tight end. Mang would compete at various camps across the United States to get in front of college scouts, and he eventually landed at Syracuse. During five playing seasons at Syracuse, Mang would play 1,268 snaps on offense, the majority of which came on running plays as a blocker. Mng recorded just nine receptions during his career for 60 yards with one touchdown. As a blocker, his bread and butter, Mang ranked 26th among all tight ends last season in PFF's run-blocking grade. Also important to note, Mang played 626 career special teams snaps as well in college, most of which came on the kick return, punt coverage, and field goal units. Mang brings an impressive combination of size and athleticism to the Colts roster, but he still has developing to do, particularly in the passing game, where he'll have to gain more experience. He has been designated the Colts' International Pathway Player for this season, which allows the team to carry 91 players on the offseason roster and up to 17 players on the practice squad in-season, if the Colts choose to go that route. They said it Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds: 'Our college scouts had what would equate to PFA, a priority free agent, grade on him because he's a good blocker. Then the pro guys look at those guys too and after the draft – I hadn't seen him until that point and (was) like, 'Who do you guys want to get at tight end?' and they stack it and they said, 'That's where we want to go, right there.''
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Colts prioritized signing UDFA CB Johnathan Edwards, received most guaranteed money
Colts prioritized signing UDFA CB Johnathan Edwards, received most guaranteed money Signing undrafted rookie cornerback Johnathan Edwards out of Tulane was a clear priority for the Indianapolis Colts. Signing undrafted rookie cornerback Johnathan Edwards out of Tulane was a clear priority for the Indianapolis Colts based on the amount of guaranteed money they gave him. According to Over the Cap, Edwards received, in total, $280,000 guaranteed, with $30,000 of that coming as a signing bonus and the other $250,000 in guaranteed money. For some added context, the $72,500 that running back Ulysses Bentley received was the second-most among Colts' UDFAs, and only five of Indianapolis' UDFAs received more than $50,000 in guaranteed money. Edwards measures in at 6-01, weighs 201 pounds, and ran a 4.42-second 40 during the pre-draft process. Following three seasons at Indiana State, Edwards transferred and played the 2024 season at Tulane. At the FBS level, he allowed a completion rate of just 54% and only 8.6 yards per catch on 26 targets, according to PFF. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 66.3 when targeting him. Most of Edwards' snaps came as an outside corner, but he does have some nickel and box experience. "Head coach Jon Sumrall reported that Edwards is one of the fastest players on the team, if not the fastest," wrote Maddy Hudak of Tulane on SI. "Edwards had several standout moments chasing down explosive plays to save touchdowns last season." Edwards joins a reshaped Colts' cornerback room that now includes Charvarius Ward, Corey Ballentine, and Justin Walley, along with Kenny Moore, Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, and Sam Womack.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle named undrafted free agent rookie to watch this summer
Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle named undrafted free agent rookie to watch this summer One of the Indianapolis Colts' defensive tackles was named an undrafted free agent rookie to watch for this summer. Defensive tackle Devonta Davis was named the Indianapolis Colts' undrafted rookie to watch this summer by Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports. "Davis thrives dispatching blockers and sticking running backs close to the line of scrimmage," wrote Trapasso. "At over 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds with arms nearly 33 inches, he has the measurables to stand out in camp and in the preseason as an active run-plugger." After four seasons at Jackson State, Davis transferred and played at Florida Atlantic this past season. As Trapasso noted, Davis' pass rush production won't leap off the page, which contributed to him going undrafted. In 2024, he tallied just 13 pressures and had a career high of 20 during the 2022 season. However, Davis' greatest impact came against the run. Out of 200-plus defensive tackles, Davis ranked 53rd in PFF's run defense grade and 92nd in run-stop rate. Where Davis would fit within this Colts' defense is as a rotational run defender, seeing the field on early downs when Grover Stewart isn't on the field. "What a team would get in a player like me is a player that is always willing to learn new things and player that's always trying to get better no matter what it is," Davis said in an interview with NFL Draft Diamonds. We know that at the top of the Colts' defensive tackle depth chart are DeForest Buckner and Stewart, but how the rotation behind them shakes out remains to be seen. GM Chris Ballard did add Neville Gallimore in free agency and then drafted Tim Smith, along with claiming Eric Johnson on waivers recently. Those three will join Adetomiwa Adebawore and compete for playing time and the final three or so roster spots. Davis is at a position group where there are some unknowns around the depth, and that is a necessary part of the equation when it comes to any UDFA making a roster push. However, like any UDFA, not that it can't be done, we saw Dalton Tucker make the Colts' 53-man roster last season, but it's always an uphill battle.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Reggie Wayne has tearful message after Colts owner Jim Irsay's death
Reggie Wayne has tearful message after Colts owner Jim Irsay's death Show Caption Hide Caption Legendary Colts owner Jim Irsay dies Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has died at 65. Members of the Indianapolis Colts organization are still grieving late owner Jim Irsay's death. On Wednesday, a tearful Reggie Wayne, former Colts receiver and current wide receivers coach for the team, talked to the media about Irsay's character and his impact on the team. "He would have did anything for anybody," he said. "He really gave the clothes off his back. "He cared about his players. He cared about his team. He cared about the city. And it wasn't just the players, he cared about people in the building. Like, he was that dude." Wayne also lamented that younger players didn't get the chance to know Irsay before his death. He said that he told the Colts' current receivers they have "homework:" reading and learning more about the late team owner. Wayne spent his entire 14-year playing career with the Colts and was a big part of the 2006 team that won Super Bowl 41. In 2018, a few years after his retirement, the former wideout worked as a voluntary receivers coach for Indianapolis. He was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor that same year. Four years later, in 2022, the team hired him as its full-time wide receivers coach. The Colts announced Wednesday that they will hold a private memorial service for Irsay on Monday, June 2. The team also plans to hold a more public service, which it will announce "at a later date." On Tuesday, the Colts announced plans to wear a jersey patch featuring Irsay's initials and signature throughout the 2025 season.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Reggie Wayne breaks down in remembrance of Jim Irsay: 'He was the Batman'
INDIANAPOLIS — Reggie Wayne started to speak and caught himself. Then the Colts' all-time leader in games played leaned back from the podium, stared at the floor and began to wipe his eyes. Exactly one week has passed since the news arrived that owner Jim Irsay had died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 65. But this Wednesday brought the first moment for Colts coaches and players to speak about the only man to have owned the team since its arrival in Indianapolis in 1997, and naturally, the member who had invested the most years, lectures, laughs and late-night conversations had the most difficult time staying composed. But that time invested allowed him to speak from the heart. 'I told the receivers, I said, 'A lot of y'all don't really know him. He would have done anything for anybody. He would have gave the clothes off his back,'" Wayne said after collecting himself. "I said, 'Y'all don't really know him.' And luckily, like all (of) them dudes, they've just been here, right? So, you don't know nothing else. But I said, 'He cared about his players. He cared about his team, cared about the city.' And it wasn't just the players, he cared about people in the building. "Like he was that dude." Like his players who spoke after Wednesday's first open organized training activities practice of the spring — a group that included Kenny Moore II, DeForest Buckner, Michael Pittman Jr. and Tyquan Lewis — Wayne had anecdote after anecdote to share about an owner who had earned a reputation as one of the unique in all of pro sports. But Wayne's memories run on a few different levels, from draft pick to star player to assistant coach, in times challenging, like his first year of coaching in 2022; and times jubilant, like the Super Bowl trophy they hoisted after the 2006 season. But the story that popped in Wayne's mind after breaking down at the podium is from the time he felt closest to leaving the Colts prior to his final season. It was 2012, and the then five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was 34, and he saw the writing on the wall after the team drafted T.Y. Hilton to pair with Andrew Luck the previous year. Wayne remembers getting ready to take trips to Chicago and Kansas City when his phone wouldn't stay silent. Finally, he picked up and Irsay was on the other line. "'Hey, Reg. What you doing?'" Wayne recalled. "I'm like, '(Expletive), I'm about to take a trip to Kansas City.' And he said, 'You know what? No, you're not taking that trip.' He said, 'Let's get this thing done.' I said, 'What took you so long to call?' And he said, 'I had to watch my favorite TV sitcom.' But he was like saying, 'We don't need no agent. We don't need nothing.' So, I actually did that deal with him by myself. I gave my agent 3% and I don't even know why." Steichen says: 'We're going to win for Jim' In Wayne's eyes, this was Irsay at his peak: in such adoration of one of his star players that he couldn't quite let go and with a checkbook at the ready to find a solution that could work. And the new investment paid off, as Wayne turned in one more 1,300-yard season to reach his sixth Pro Bowl in 2012 and wound up playing all 14 of his pro seasons with the franchise that drafted him. All for an owner he could never lose touch with. "It was times where I felt like (he) treated me like I was one of his sons, even though he didn't have any," Wayne said. "... So, when you lose something like that, it definitely shocks the soul.' Irsay was an owner, a football junkie, a collector and a philanthropist. And he was all of those at different points in Wayne's life, too, including in a role that sometimes could feel like a dad. Irsay will have a private memorial service Monday in Indianapolis, with a public remembrance coming at a later date. "I've always said, I mean to a lot of people in the city, kids and all that stuff," Wayne said. "The athletes, they think the athletes are the real heroes. No, we were just Robin. He was the Batman.
