In week eight, the Indianapolis Colts are making practice squad moves ahead of their crucial AFC South battle with the Houston Texans . This time, they’ve re-signed wide receiver Ethan Fernea to the practice squad again while rereleasing backup kicker Spencer Shrader.
We have signed WR Ethan Fernea to the practice squad and released K Spencer Shrader from the practice squad.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 23, 2024
Both moves aren’t too crazy for Indianapolis, as Fernea has been on and off the practice squad over the past few years, and kicker Shrader is becoming a weekly sign-and-drop for the franchise. However, given the injuries for Indy through seven weeks, having depth at key positions is always important. This is especially true when factoring in a high-powered team like the Texans.
While the Texans fell to the Green Bay Packers in week seven, they’re still 5-2 and look great with C.J. Stroud under center. Also, while the Colts won’t need to worry about wide receiver Nico Collins (injured reserve), they still have to contain Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Joe Mixon. Out of these three weapons offensively, Mixon sticks out the most. The veteran RB ran all over the Colts in week one (159 rushing yards and a touchdown), so Indy has to limit those yards this time. The hope for Indianapolis is that DeForest Buckner can be cleared to return even in a limited capacity…