The Colts made a series of moves to shake up the practice squad on Tuesday, adding a veteran defensive tackle as depth in the wake of DeForest Buckner’s injury and bringing back a familiar face on special teams.
Indianapolis signed veteran defensive tackle Chris Wormley, former Colts safety George Odum, former Cowboys draft pick Viliami Fehoko Jr. and Pendleton native Eli Pancol to the practice squad, releasing veteran defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon, tight end Maximilian Mang and cornerback Troy Pride Jr. to make room.
Wormley is the biggest name on the list.
The 32-year-old defensive tackle is a veteran of eight seasons in the NFL, posting 11 sacks and 23 quarterback hits while playing for the Ravens, Steelers and Panthers.
Wormley hasn’t played more than five games since 2022, but he’s an experienced depth piece at a position that lost Buckner to a neck injury last week, sidelining the team’s star for the Falcons game in Berlin and at least the next three games, although the Colts hope to get him back at some point this season.
Indianapolis’s decision to release Kpassagnon to make room is also an indication that the Colts could get veteran defensive ends Tyquan Lewis and Samson Ebukam back this week. Lewis and Ebukam, who’ve combined for five sacks this season while playing rotational roles behind Laiatu Latu and Kwity Paye, have missed the last three games due to injuries that didn’t force Indianapolis to put either player on injured reserve.
With a need for insurance at defensive tackle — defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said Tuesday that the team will lean on Adetomiwa Adebawore to fill Buckner’s place, along with Neville Gallimore and a few other players — the Colts chose Wormley for the practice squad spot.
Odum, 32, is the kind of player who could help Indianapolis on special teams immediately. He spent four years in Indianapolis to open his career and led the NFL in special-teams tackles in 2020, earning him first-team All-Pro honors. Odum replicated the feat again in 2022, making 21 special-teams tackles to earn second-team All-Pro honors in his first season with the 49ers. Odum spent the past three seasons in San Francisco, but the 49ers released him before training camp this year after the safety went through offseason elbow surgery.
Fehoko, 25, was a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2023, but he’s never played in an NFL regular-season game. Pancol, a Pendleton native who played his high school football at Pendleton Heights before landing a scholarship at Duke, spent training camp with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent, but he was waived with an injury designation at the NFL’s deadline to reduce rosters to 53 players.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts sign veteran DT, familiar face and local product in practice-squad shakeup
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
