Colts Place New OLB Josh McNary On Reserve/Military List

The Colts signed free agent outside linebacker Josh McNary earlier this week, but because McNary still has obligations to fulfill with the U.S. Army, the team has placed him on the Reserve/Military list.

In a call with media on Thursday, McNary told reporters he expects to join the Colts in late May or early June. He does not have an official date set for his Army release, and been serving as a lieutenant at Fort Hood since October 2012.

The Colts first set of workouts are scheduled for April 17th, with veteran players under contract returning to Indianapolis April 15th.

On a team with rush backers such as Robert Mathis, Jerry Hughes, Lawrence Sidbury, and a likely new addition from either the draft or collegiate free agent market, McNary's responsibilities to the military may make it difficult to retain him on the roster in August. He hasn't played football in three years, and the offseason workouts he will miss absolutely will affect his chances to win a roster spot.

When McNary does show up for offseason activities, he'll need to work that much harder to get up to speed. Considering he spent four years at West Point and left the school as Army's all-time sack leader, hard work shouldn't be something foreign to Lt. McNary.

Why did McNary sign with the Colts? George Bremer provides insight:

"I did have other opportunities," he said during a conference call with local media Thursday. "But the Colts were just unique in their eagerness and enthusiasm to get me on board. I got a call from the general manager (Ryan Grigson) himself to sign with the organization. That was huge.

"Then getting a call from Coach (Chuck) Pagano, it was basically like an overwhelming amount of attention and enthusiasm that they showed toward me. So it definitely wasn’t matched by any other teams."

The McNary story is one we plan to follow closely. Personally, I'm pulling for him to make the team in some capacity in 2013.