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The Indianapolis Colts have tendered offers to all four of their exclusive rights free agents: tight end Erik Swoope, long snapper Luke Rhodes, offensive lineman Jeremy Vujnovich and cornerback/special teamer Chris Milton.
Swoope and Rhodes could be considered gimmes for being brought back. Swoope was unable to make his way back onto the field last season after undergoing a minor knee procedure during the preseason. However, he showed plenty of promise during 2016 when he caught 15-of-22 targets for 297 yards (19.8 avg) and 1 touchdown, while starting four games. He is a downfield threat at tight end that the Colts haven’t had since Coby Fleener.
Rhodes converted from linebacker to long snapper last year and performed quite well. Outside of some awful-weather games, his snaps were consistently well placed.
Vujnovich and Milton were toss-ups. Vujnovich started all 16 games and played every snap for the Colts last year, but he was graded as the worst offensive guard in the league according to Pro Football Focus. His return’s got to be for depth only. Milton is a quality special teamer, but he struggled when he was forced into action on defense due to injuries in front of him.
By the Colts tendering these ERFA’s, it means is that the players either accept the Colts’ offer, or they just don’t play in the NFL otherwise. The players will almost certainly sign their tenders, which gives the Colts their rights for another season.