Colts stole a former fourth-round pick from an NFC team as they look to get back in the win column in Week 5 vs. the Raiders 

Colts sign LB Buddy Johnson off the Cowboys' practice squad

The Colts have signed LB Buddy Johnson off the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad. Johnson's NFL career began with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft following his college career at Texas A&M. His time with the Steelers wouldn't last long, though, as he only appeared in four games and ended up being cut by the team in 2022.

During that season, he spent time on the practice squads of the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans. He then spent training camp in 2023 with the Chicago Bears but wouldn't make their 53-man roster, and eventually landed on the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad in October 2023. He stuck with the team over the past two and a half years. During his time with the Cowboys, he appeared in 17 games over three seasons, with his most notable season coming in 2024, when he played in 14 of their 17 games. His role was almost entirely on special teams, with 325 of his 330 snaps in 2024 coming in that capacity.

Buddy Johnson's NFL snap counts

• Steelers 2021: 6 defense, 59 special teams (four games)
• Cowboys 2023: 2 defense, 27 special teams (two games)
• Cowboys 2024: 5 defense, 325 special teams (14 games)
• Cowboys 2025: 0 defense, 18 special teams (one game)

The Colts have faced significant struggles at linebacker next to Zaire Franklin, as they have tried three different linebackers in the role to find a solution. With Joe Bachie, Cam McGrone, and Austin Ajiake all getting some snaps at LB next to Franklin already this season. Signing Johnson to give them another option isn't all that surprising, but he most likely ends up being a special-teams body, rather than an actual option to play significant snaps on defense. The thing to watch for now is the Colts had to waive/release a player to make room for Johnson. So it will be interesting to see what the team elects to do.