Colts sign two offensive linemen, waive two others

The Indianapolis Colts have had a busy day of making roster moves, as this afternoon they signed guard Eric Herman and tackle Keith Lumpkin. To make room on the roster, they waived guard Donovan Williams and waived-injured tackle Kevin Graf. If he clears waivers, he will revert to the Colts’ injured reserve.

Herman was originally drafted by the New York Giants in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Ohio University, where he started 50 games and was a two-time all-conference selection. He was with the Giants in 2013 and 2014 on both their practice squad and active roster, but he didn’t appear in any games. In 2015, he was on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. He didn’t play anywhere this offseason.

Lumpkin was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills earlier this year, but he was waived in June and hasn’t had a shot with a team since. He played collegiately at Rutgers, where he started 38 games, all of which were in a row at left tackle to end his tenure at the school.

Williams didn’t make it very long with the Colts, as he was claimed off of waivers from the Chicago Bears just last week. As for Kevin Graf, he was signed as a free agent earlier this year and was working as one of the backup tackles in training camp and preseason, but suffered an ankle injury in the preseason opener and then suffered another ankle injury last night - one that required him to be carted off the field.

These roster moves are geared toward bringing in depth along the offensive line for the preseason and seeing what Eric Herman and Keith Lumpkin can do. It’s unlikely that either will make the roster, but that’s not the point at this time of year: the goal is primarily to bring in guys who can play reps in the preseason, while hoping that one or two might show enough to stick around on either the active roster or practice squad.