The Colts have waived rookie tackle Xavier Nixon, opening up a spot on their active, 53-man roster as well as more rampant speculation that Indianapolis' general manager, Ryan Grigson, will make another trade to acquire a veteran.
This time, instead of replacing Vick Ballard with Trent Richardson, Grigson needs a wide receiver to replace Reggie Wayne. Wayne was placed on season-ending IR last week following a knee injury sustained during the Colts 39-33 win over Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Week 7.
Earlier on Monday, the Colts promoted practice squad receiver Griff Whalen to the active 53, suggesting to all who were paying attention that Indy had no interest in making a trade. With Nixon gone and a roster spot open, the trade talk is back on (at least, talk on the Internet, that is).
Grigson has few chips to trade, and he currently has only $1.3 million in open salary cap space. However, the reality is that the Colts are not a championship-caliber team with their current crop of wideouts. People could debate whether or not they were a top AFC team with Reggie Wayne, but the consensus should be that without him the Colts aren’t a contender.
Replacing his production, or getting someone that can help in a significant way, has to be Grigson’s priority as the NFL trade deadline looms.