Colts Place Tight End Trey Burton on IR

The Indianapolis Colts announced on Monday that the team has placed tight end Trey Burton on injured reserve and claimed former Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Eli Ankou in a corresponding 53-man roster move.

The Colts signed versatile veteran receiving tight end Trey Burton earlier this offseason to help replace departed Pro Bowl tight end Eric Ebron—given the former’s established familiarity with head coach Frank Reich and his prior productivity with the Eagles (and Bears).

However, Burton suffered a serious calf injury in training camp and was expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the Colts regular season—if not more time.

This may be an indication that Burton’s calf injury isn’t recovering as quickly as the Colts may have initially hoped, and he may have a longer timetable until he returns to the field.

Burton, along with backup defensive tackle Sheldon Day (knee), are top candidates to return from injured reserve to the Colts active roster as the season progresses—depending on how the Colts’ other team injuries ultimately shake out (as each NFL team is now allowed to have 3 players return from injured reserve this season).

However, it may not necessarily be a given that either or both actually return in 2020.

In Burton’s expected absence, the Colts claimed ex-Philadelphia Eagles tight end Noah Togiai off of league waivers earlier this weekend—the latter who much like Burton, fits the mold as a receiving tight end that the Colts can move around throughout their offensive formations (and is less of an in-line blocking type tight end).

The Colts now have three healthy tight ends again: Jack Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox, and the recently claimed Togiai—but it’s possible Burton could return a little bit later in the season—as he was expected to have a prominent receiving role within the offense.