Colts Sign OT Jake Benzinger, CB Anthony Chesley, OT Elijah Nkansah to Reserve/Future Contracts

The Indianapolis Colts announced on Tuesday that the team has signed three more players to Reserve/Future contracts: OT Jake Benzinger, CB Anthony Chesley, and OT Elijah Nkansah.

Here’s a brief rundown:

• OT Jacob Benzinger: The 6’7”, 295 pound offensive tackle from Wake Forest, appeared in 50 games for the Demon Deacons. He made 27 starts at right tackle and 13 at left tackle respectively during his 4-year collegiate career—earning honorable mention All-ACC honors during his senior season in 2019. The undrafted rookie tackle spent the 2020 offseason with the Arizona Cardinals.
• CB Anthony Chesley: The 6’0”, 190 pound cornerback from Coastal Carolina appeared in 42 games, recording 140 tackles (105 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 25 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions during his 4-year collegiate career with the Chanticleers. He was initially signed by the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2019 NFL Draft as an undrafted rookie but later spent time with the Houston Texans organization during 2019-2020—including on their active roster (appearing in 3 games this past season).
• OT Elijah Nkansah: The 6’6”, 311 pound Muncie, Indiana, native played in 41 career games (33 starts) for Toledo—including at both left and right tackle. He earned First-Team All-MAC honors in 2017. Nkansah was initially signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted rookie in 2018, but he’s also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks (2018-2019) and Houston Texans organizations (2019-20)—as he spent all of last season on the Texans taxi-man squad.

With veteran stalwart Anthony Castonzo retiring earlier on Tuesday, it’s probably not a coincidence that two of these three players are offensive tackles. Both should compete this offseason and hopefully provide potential depth at the position.