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With the waiver wire from yesterday's cuts done and no Colts cuts claimed, the team had plenty of options to choose from for their practice squad. This afternoon, the team announced their initial ten player practice squad. Here's the list:
Daniel Adongo, OLB
David Arkin, G
Quan Bray, WR
Duron Carter, WR
Ulrick John, T
Dewey McDonald, S
Josh McNary, LB
Eric Patterson, CB
Jeris Pendleton, DL
Erik Swoope, TE
The practice squad is for developmental prospects that teams want to keep working with but not keep on their active roster. There are specific eligibility requirements for these players (which you can find here), and it's important to note that this list is not for just any player but rather younger guys who haven't played much in the league and still need some work. The Colts always seem to have plenty of those type of players, and that's certainly the case this year.
Perhaps the biggest name on the practice squad for the Colts is wide receiver Duron Carter, who cleared waivers (which could be considered a surprise). This worked out perfectly for the Colts, as they get the chance to continue to work with a raw but talented wideout who was a star in training camp. He had a nice game in the fourth preseason game but overall wasn't too productive in the preseason, which is likely what cost him the fifth receiver spot on the roster. Having a more consistent and reliable receiver who can also play special teams, like Griff Whalen, made the difference, but the Colts can continue to work with Carter now. The same is true with Quan Bray, who also had a very nice camp but was even more invisible than Carter in the preseason. Bray was an undrafted rookie this year and deserves a spot on this practice squad based on what we saw in camp.
Also, it is great to see Josh McNary back. The Colts worked him out this weekend just days after being found not guilty of rape charges, and he's a guy that the Colts really liked over the past few years. He has played some with the team in 2013 and 2014 and has potential - enough so that the Colts are bringing him back as a member of their practice squad.
The Daniel Adongo project also lives on, as the Colts are sticking with the rugby player turned NFL player for a bit longer. He has shown massive improvement since his rookie year but isn't quite there yet, so while his time is running out, he's still getting a chance to continue working on the Colts' practice squad.
Dewey McDonald is also a player worth keeping around, as he has some potential and can play very well on special teams, and so the Colts can also continue to develop him and, if they need another safety, know that they have one right on their practice squad.
Of course, just like we said with the 53-man roster yesterday, this isn't final. There still could be a couple of moves made on the practice squad by the Colts, and when I say that I have Amarlo Herrera in mind. Waived by the Colts today to make room for a couple of new additions, Herrera would be a perfect fit for the practice squad, as the Colts like the rookie inside linebacker and even initially had him make the cut to 53. But he needs to clear waivers first and therefore can't be signed to the practice squad right away. If he does clear waivers, however, I'd think that Herrera would be a logical fit for the practice squad.