The Colts finally parted ways with 2008 seventh round pick Jamey Richard yesterday, waving the U. of Buffalo product and claiming Seth Olsen off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings.
Olsen, a 306 pound guard, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. That 2009 draft is now infamous for Denver and its fans. Josh McDaniels was running the team that year, and he drafted Robert Ayers over Clay Matthews and traded up to get Alphonso Smith. Today, most of that 2009 draft class no longer play in Denver. Olsen was cut last year prior to the start of the 2010 season. He was picked up by Minnesota and signed to their practice squad. This year, he was promoted to their active roster, but eventually was waived.
Olsen is versatile, playing both tackle and guard positions. He hails from Iowa, which is essentially the Colts developmental college. Dallas Clark, Pat Angerer, and head coach Jim Caldwell are all former Hawkeyes, as were former Colts Mitch King and Bob Sanders. Olsen is known more for his run blocking than pass blocking.
As I wrote on cutdown day, it made no sense for the Colts to cut the always reliable Kyle DeVan while keeping the consistently terrible Jamey Richard, who ended up getting cut anyway. Now, DeVan is a starter with Philadelphia Eagles, and looked good against the Rams. Maybe the Olsen signing can help provide better depth overall. Still, with DeVan, the team had solid depth. I still do not know why he was cut in favor of Richard and 2008 draft bust Mike Pollak.