This time of year, roster moves are very frequent. This is certainly true of the Colts, and today they made another minor roster move, signing offensive guard Andre Cureton and waiving kicker Cody Parkey.
Cureton, an Indianapolis native who played at Pike High School, where he was an AP All-State selection, played collegiately at Cincinnati. He played in 23 career games with the Bearcats (making 6 starts), and all 6 of those starts came during his senior season, when he played in 12 games. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent back in May, but was released a week ago. now, the Colts have brought him home to Indianapolis to a team that always is looking for players along the offensive line.
Cody Parkey was always nothing more than a camp leg for the Colts. Basically, teams bring in kickers for camp so that their real kickers won't tire their leg out - especially Adam Vinatieri, the league's oldest player. Parkey was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn and made his first two career NFL field goals last week against the Giants. He had a very impressive camp and looked good, especially showing off his strong leg. Last week, he even recovered a fumble on a kickoff, something not many kickers can say. But all along, everyone knew Parkey was only around for camp and preseason. Being a kicker in the NFL is tough, as there are only 32 spots available, but hopefully Parkey will have shown teams needing a kicker enough to impress them and give him a shot. From here on out, it seems like it'll be business as normal for the Colts for the final two preseason games, with Pat McAfee handling the kickoff and punting duties (and maybe even a field goal try?) with Adam Vinatieri handling the field goals. And make no mistake about Vinatieri - even though he's the oldest player in the NFL, he's still got it and today he nailed a 62-yarder in practice. He's still got it.
It's unlikely that this roster move will impact the final 53-man roster, but the Colts are giving Cureton a chance to play and play well, and considering how the Colts could be looking for help along the offensive line, there's a chance for him there. I wouldn't expect it, but sometimes all a guy needs is a shot, and Andre Cureton is getting it with his hometown team now.