Colts place promising LB on IR, set 53-man roster

The Indianapolis Colts have cut down their roster to 53 players. The team announced the following moves:

Released:

• RB Khalil Herbert
• CB Chris Lammons
• TE Sean McKeon
• CB Duke Shelley
• WR Laquon Treadwell
• DT Josh Tupou

Waived:

• LB Austin Ajiake
• WR Ajou Ajou
• QB Jason Bean
• RB Ulysses Bentley IV
• CB JuJu Brents
• LB Jake Chaney
• DT Devonta Davis
• LB Solomon DeShields
• T Marshall Foerner
• C Wesley French
• DE Marcus Haynes
• CB Alex Johnson
• T Marcellus Johnson
• WR Tyler Kahmann
• DE Isaiah Land
• DE Desmond Little
• TE Maximilian Mang
• CB B.J. Mayes
• DE Durrell Nchami
• RB Nate Notel
• WR Coleman Owen
• WR Landon Parker
• G Josh Sills
• WR Blayne Taylor
• S Ladarius Tennison
• LB Joseph Vaughn
• C Mose Vavao
• S Trey Washington
• CB Sam Womack III
• TE Jelani Woods
• RB Nay’Quan Wright

Waived/injured:

• K Maddux Trujillo

Placed on IR (designated for return):

• LB Jaylon Carlies

Jaylon Carlies will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the upcoming season, but it sounds like it should be a minimum stay on IR for the linebacker. According to Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star, Carlies should only require a short stint on injured reserve as he recovers from an ankle injury. The 2024 fifth-round pick started six of his 10 appearances for the Colts last season, collecting 36 tackles and one sack.

While he’s not the biggest name from the list of cuts, linebacker Austin Ajiake was waived in a bit of a surprising move. As Erickson notes, the former UDFA spent significant time with the second-team unit during the preseason, and he even got some reps with the first team. A UNLV product, Ajiake has also had stints with the Broncos, Raiders, and Packers. He spent the entire 2024 campaign on Indy’s taxi squad.