According to Colts.com, the Colts have released four more players; Justise Hairston, Dan Davis, Pat Ross, and Shane Andrus.  All players were signed for the minimum amount for first year players and as such, under the Rule of 51 these releases create no additional cap space.

In the aforementioned article, specifically states the move was “in an effort to reduce their roster toward the 80-player limit mandated by a new NFL rule“.  However, by my count of the players currently under contract (according to the NFLPA website), there were only 78 players under contract before the release of these four players, so the current total sits at 74 players.  While the team has nine drafted rookies not under contract that will need to be signed, such players historically have not been signed until closer to training camp.

All of this begs the question of why they players were released now.  The likely answer is either that the team is planning on beginning to sign the drafted rookies earlier than usual or that the released players had no possible shot at making the team and that releasing them now gives them an opportunity to sign elsewhere.

According to IndyStar, the Colts have released backup punter Chad Stanley.

Big news indeed.

Stanley, who earlier had signed a one year deal at the applicable vet minimum salary of $730K only had a $445K salary cap hit as the contract qualified for the minimum salary benefit. As such, releasing him only releases $445K in salary cap space, which under the Rule of 51 is filled with a salary of $370, resulting in a net cap savings of a mere $75K.

As the savings of releasing Stanley is minimal (even compared to a net savings of $0 under the Rule of 51 by releasing the other backup punter Adam Crossett), the likely reason for the release is simply that Crossett was either more versatile (which I discussed here) or is simply a better punter. Regardless, with the new rule going into place limiting teams to 80 players in training camp, some of the likely early cuts will be at the special teams position(s), so unless Crossett can out perform incumbent Hunter Smith, his apparent out performance of Stanley is, in the long run, negligible.

On a suggestion from a reader (but implemented differently), I’ve calculated the cost/benefit involved in cutting each player from the roster. As it is after June 1st, any remaining unamortized bonuses will hit next year; meaning that the bonuses on the books for this year will still count against this year’s cap and any bonuses on the books for future years that are either guaranteed or have had their requisite conditions met will count against the books in 2009. Keep in mind however, that the following costs don’t include the contract values that replace the player cut, so if cutting a player will save $1mil, keeping on another player at that position at a contract of $400K will only result in a net savings of $600K. Items in RED indicate a loss of cap space rather than a gain.

IndyStar is reporting that FB/RB/Punisher Luke Lawton has been traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Curiously enough, the Eagles also signed former Colts FB/DT Dan Klecko in the offseason, giving them two players from the Colts that had played the same (though rarely used) position. Darrel Reid, watch out.

The move removes Lawton’s salary of $445K from the team’s salary cap. Under the Rule of 51, the void is filled by a salary of $370K, resulting in a cap savings of only $75K. The reported compensation for the trade is a conditional 2009 draft choice.

There are potentially two impacts from this move; what will the team do at the FB position and how will this impact the roster at RB. As to the second point, the team has traditionally carried four backs; three truer RB’s and a RB/FB tweener. With the lone RB/FB now gone from the roster, the question becomes 1) will the team convert a RB to a RB/FB and still carry four, 2) will the team pick up a FB and carry three, or 3) will the team convert another player and still carry up to four RB’s. Personally, I think the latter option is the most likely. No RB right now seems to have the ability or size to adequately do the job, and while Polian has compared Mike Hart to former Colt James Mungro, Hart seems to be an unlikely candidate for the job. Similarly, the team’s desire to build from within (and to not squander salary cap space on lesser used positions) would suggest that the replacement is on the team.

While Darrell Reid has played the position in the past, my dark horse candidate for the job is current TE Gijon Robinson. Physically, at 6′1″ and 255 lbs., Robinson fits the bill. Further, as he was being drafted, some considered him to be not just a TE, but more of an H-Back and FB, able to line up in the backfield as a blocking back. Lastly, as FB is not a position of great usage for the team, a full-time FB may take up a roster spot that could be used elsewhere. While in 2007 the team only carried three TE’s, it has historically at times carried more. In 2005 and 2006, the team carried four TE’s (Clark, Utecht, Hartsock, and Fletcher) and if Robinson can also play as a FB, such a move would surely help him get into a tight TE lineup with Clark and two rookies (Tamme and Santi).

For Lawton, I saw the writing on the wall when a recent article on Colts.com on Lawton quoted him as saying in regards to his size, “It’s just a better fit for a guy like myself – just to be lighter, and a more balanced back.” Lawton, who’s primary contributions came not as a runner but as a blocking FB and blocking up-man on kickoff returns was seemingly not trying to make the team on the basis of those strengths, but rather as a true RB, a position in which he would be competing with five other backs (Addai, Rhodes, Hart, Keith, and Dawson), four of which already had more experience at the position and all five of which seemed to be a better fit.

In that same article, Lawton is quoted as saying, “I’ve always thought I could play running back…what fullback doesn’t?“. Unfortunately for him, that desire to play RB may have gotten him traded from the one team that had let him play anything during the regular season. Hopefully, he can continue his dream in Philly, but if not, he may have made a choice to be unemployed rather than be a FB.

Best of luck,

- BAV -