Erik Swoope, Quan Bray officially sign ERFA tenders with Colts

As the offseason program begins today, the Indianapolis Colts announced that tight end Erik Swoope and wide receiver/return specialist Quan Bray have officially signed their exclusive rights free agent tenders.

The Colts never really announced that they even tendered Swoope and Bray, but it quickly became clear that they had. And with an ERFA tag, there is absolutley no use waiting, since the player really doesn’t have any leverage at all. So as the offseason workout program begins, both signings are now official.

The decision to tender Swoope seemed like a no-brainer, considering the ERFA tag essentially guaranteed that Swoope will be back without him having to test free agency. For a small contract like an ERFA tender, there was really no reason for the Colts to not make this move. With Dwayne Allen now gone, it will be Swoope as the clear number two tight end, and the Colts are excited to see what he can do.

He showed promise as a receiving tight end last year, playing in all 16 games and starting four of them while catching 15 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown. The former collegiate basketball player has shown nice development since he was signed by the Colts, and last year he proved himself to be a guy worth keeping around and working with. The Colts might still add a tight end through the draft in this very deep class, but bringing back Erik Swoope on an ERFA tender to backup Jack Doyle made a ton of sense.

As for Bray, it also made a lot of sense. Again, it’s a small contract and Bray is a good return specialist. His spot on the roster might not yet be guaranteed depending on who else is competing with him, but Bray has been a nice return man for the Colts in the last two years and can be both a kick and punt returner. So even if he’s coming back just to compete for a spot, the fact that he was an ERFA made it an easy decision.