Indianapolis Colts roster cuts include three 2024 draft picks
INDIANAPOLIS — The last three draft picks of the 2024 class failed to make the initial Colts roster, a development that is both surprising and explicable.
Indianapolis waived fifth-round cornerback Jaylin Simpson, sixth-round nickel Micah Abraham and seventh-round defensive tackle Jonah Laulu on Tuesday, continuing a trend in Chris Ballard’s time as general manager, although all three players could be back on the practice squad if they clear waivers.
Ballard prefers to stockpile picks, giving him more ammunition in the draft, and as a result, at least one member of his eight draft classes has failed to make the initial 53-man roster, either because of injury or inability to climb the depth chart.
Injury was not a factor for Simpson, Abraham and Laulu.
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Special teams likely played a role in the decision to let the two defensive backs be exposed to waivers.
Abraham has a knack for the ball; the Marshall product turned in the defense’s biggest highlight of the preseason by forcing a fumble, recovering it and returning the strip for a 45-yard score in the preseason opener. He also finished second on the Colts with 10 preseason tackles and added a tackle-for-loss, displaying the physicality necessary to play in the slot.
But he struggled with missed assignments at times and did not appear to crack the top kick coverage units, a must for any defensive back competing for a spot at the end of the roster. Simpson, a college safety the Colts tried to convert to cornerback, made two tackles in the preseason and displayed an aggressive nature on short routes, but he had issues with receivers going deep, and like Abraham, he couldn’t unseat Darrell Baker Jr. on the team’s top kicking units.
Laulu, a defensive tackle from Oklahoma, faced a tough road from the moment his name was called in the draft. DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart form one of the NFL’s best tandems at the defensive tackle position. Raekwon Davis was signed in free agency to back up the two stars, and the Colts had three returning players — Adetomiwa Adebawore, Taven Bryan and Eric Johnson — who were part of the 2023 roster.
But the Colts must now wait to see if the rookies come back on the practice squad, or if another team with waiver priority snaps up the young players Indianapolis released.
