Colts place Tyler Varga on reserve/retired list, sign running back Abou Toure

Earlier today, the Indianapolis Colts announced that running back Tyler Varga was placed on the reserve/did not report list, meaning he didn’t show up to training camp today. I speculated that it was perhaps because he was considering retirement, and it turns out that was indeed the case.

The Colts later announced that they have placed Varga on the reserve/retired list, and to fill his place on the roster the team signed running back Abou Toure.

Varga was signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason out of Yale and impressed right away in training camp and preseason, playing well enough to make the roster. After just a couple of games, however, he suffered a concussion that turned out to be very serious - one that ended his season. He dealt with the after-affects of that concussion for months afterwards, and it’s likely that his decision to retire is directly tied to that concussion. He’s a talented running back who would have helped the position in Indianapolis, but it’s hard to fault his decision and we wish him the best in retirement.

The Colts signed Abou Toure to replace Varga’s roster spot, and he spent time with the Colts last offseason and training camp as an undrafted free agent out of UT Martin, so the Colts are familiar with him. Last year, he spent time on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ and Arizona Cardinals’ practice squads. Last year in the preseason for the Colts, Toure rushed seven times for 37 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per rush.