Colts sign Dewey McDonald, waive Amarlo Herrera and Shaun Prater

The Indianapolis Colts made some roster moves today on their day off, promoting safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad to the active roster, waiving inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera and cornerback Shaun Prater from the active roster, and waiving quarterback Alex Tanney from the practice squad.  The moves leave the Colts with one open spot on the 53-man roster and two open spots on the practice squad for the time being.

Both Mike Adams (hamstring) and Clayton Geathers (knee) left Sunday's game with injuries, leaving the Colts with little depth at the safety position (with only Dwight Lowery, Colt Anderson, and Winston Guy healthy).  Head coach Chuck Pagano said yesterday that both Adams and Geathers are day to day with their injuries, but we all know that, with the Colts, "day to day" can mean pretty much anything short of it being a significant injury.  The designation does not at all mean that they will be able to play this Sunday, and so the signing of McDonald makes a lot of sense in case either Adams or Geathers (or both) won't be able to play against the Saints.  There's still a few days before the game and the hope is that both safeties will be out there, but we don't know at this point.  Hopefully we'll get a better idea tomorrow as the Colts take the practice field, but the signing of McDonald makes sense nonetheless.

McDonald played in 12 games for the Colts last year, making a notable impact on special teams and finishing with the second-most special teams tackles of any Colts player with 13.  He also played in all three postseason games, recording three more special teams tackles.  He missed the final roster cutdown this year out of training camp and preseason but was quickly added to the team's practice squad.  He is a guy who can provide valuable depth at the safety position but could have a more significant contribution on special teams.

As for Herrera and Prater, they both are guys who were signed at positions of need due to injury, and now they both have been waived because of the injuries at the safety position.  I'd expect Herrera to be added to the Colts practice squad once he clears waivers, as he's a guy they will likely want to continue working with.