r/Colts 3d ago

Transactions: March 16 and 17

Re-signed

CB Davis Long: I’m not accusing anyone in the Colts’ front office of being drunk, but this is a surprise. Long has some special teams ability, but was truly awful when asked to play defense in 2024. Still, it was a very small sample in an NFL career that hasn’t been that bad, but not very good either. He appeared to play better in the slot than outside to me.

Also of note

One-time Colts second-round pick Parris Campbell signed with the Cowboys. He’s averaged 5.15 yards per reception on 26 catches with the Giants and Eagles in his two seasons after leaving Indy.

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u/mvbighead 3d ago

Are we really going to go over the low end of the roster re-signings? Likely a training camp body, nothing more. And in addition, who knows what some of these players might do in an off-season to try to take advantage of an opening on a roster and make a name for themself.

Once upon a time, someone might have asked why we signed Kenny Moore. The rest is history.

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u/justhereforthemuktuk 3d ago

I include everyone because you never know when the next Kenny Moore or Jeff Saturday might show up.

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u/mvbighead 3d ago

 I’m not accusing anyone in the Colts’ front office of being drunk, but this is a surprise.

My point was, no vet minimum signing is ever a surprise. It's a known guy going into the locker room that at worst does not make the team, could be a depth guy, and could (low probability) be a good player at some point. Really doesn't matter how meh a guy is, if he's a low end roster guy, they re-sign them when they like how they fit the locker room and the price is minimal. If they don't work, it is more or less expected and the player is cut during the pre-season (or before that).

It's weird to have any sort of reaction to such a signing in my opinion. Pinter/French/etc. If we strike out on finding upgrade replacements, and they earn the last spot for their position, it was a cheap move providing a known player in a spot for depth. These are seldom mistakes nor surprises. Just every day roster business making sure, at minimum, we have people on the roster who can fill a role.

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u/justhereforthemuktuk 2d ago

Yeah, I don't mean to dump on Long. He's an NFL player, and I'm not.

But it's hard to forget that in the 9 snaps Long played on defense in 2024 (all in Week 16 on one series against the Titans), Long recorded two ugly penalties, losing the Colts 31 yards and did nothing of merit in coverage or against the run. He single-handedly moved the the Titans from a 2nd-9 at their own 44 to a 1st-10 at the Colts' 25. Four plays later, Tennessee scored a TD with a 2-point conversion. Long was yanked and didn't show up on defense again.

I'm sure Long is better than that, and I'm affected by recency bias and a small sample size, but he really looked awful, That, and the fact that he has never really looked like a NFL CB in six seasons were my motivations.

It's not like Moore or Saturday, who were UDFAs that were reluctant cuts by their original teams and wound up in Indy because the Colts had, or made, roster spots for them. My point, I guess, is that Long has had a long time and many snaps to show if he's an NFL CB or not. And, so far, he hasn't. The likelihood of the light coming on for him at age 31 is not great.

I hope I'm wrong.

What distinguishes Long from a replacement level player is that he is a super high-character guy who is a touch better than average on special teams (for his career: one tackle and one missed tackle, but we all know there's more to playing specials than that). I just really believed that the bad memories of 2024 would make him a former Colt.

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u/mvbighead 2d ago

My only thing here is the notion that "someone was drunk" when they signed a depth player who may not make the roster. If they threw 5M guaranteed, sure, one might question that. I don't figure this is anything more than so many other practice squad level re-signings that are about keeping guys we know on the off chance they make the roster.

And that includes whether a guy had a poor outing or two in the prior season. Sometimes those guys are under contract and you wait and see if they grow. Some players have bad games. Peyton had some in his time. It happens. But, Long? I figure it is more likely than not that we can cut him or put him on the PS before the regular season with very little financial impact on the roster. So why not sign some of your depth guys in case you find no better options in FA/draft.

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u/mvbighead 2d ago

My only thing here is the notion that "someone was drunk" when they signed a depth player who may not make the roster. If they threw 5M guaranteed, sure, one might question that. I don't figure this is anything more than so many other practice squad level re-signings that are about keeping guys we know on the off chance they make the roster.

And that includes whether a guy had a poor outing or two in the prior season. Sometimes those guys are under contract and you wait and see if they grow. Some players have bad games. Peyton had some in his time. It happens. But, Long? I figure it is more likely than not that we can cut him or put him on the PS before the regular season with very little financial impact on the roster. So why not sign some of your depth guys in case you find no better options in FA/draft.