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The Colts released cornerback Alex Johnson, despite a string of solid preseason performances
The Indianapolis Colts have begun making their roster cuts ahead of the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. As is typically the case, there will be a slew of surprising moves made across the league, and the Colts ended up making one of those surprising moves on Monday afternoon.
Every year, there are some unexpected players who make a charge for a roster spot, and in Indianapolis, one of those guys was cornerback Alex Johnson. Despite stringing together some strong preseason performances, though, that wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the Colts’ initial 53-man roster.
Colts Release Cornerback Alex Johnson
Indy’s quarterback battle between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson drew the most attention throughout training camp, but on the defensive side of the ball, Johnson made a serious push to earn a spot on the team’s roster. After not getting selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Johnson initially latched on with the New York Giants before finding his way to the Colts’ practice squad.
After spending a season developing behind the scenes, Johnson’s improvement was hard to miss during the summer. While Charvarius Ward, Jaylon Jones, and Kenny Moore II are locked in as the team’s starting cornerbacks, Johnson seemed to have a real shot at earning a spot on the depth chart behind these guys.
Johnson played extensively during the preseason, and fans took note of his sticky coverage. It wasn’t enough, though, as he ended up getting released by the Colts on Monday as part of their roster cuts. However, teams across the league have taken note of Johnson’s strong play, and it could result in him quickly finding a new home.
“Colts released CB Alex Johnson per source,” Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reported. Had a Pro Football Focus cover grade of 90.3 and overall grade of 86.8 in his 101 preseason snaps over 3 games. Should have plenty of interest around the league.”
Could Alex Johnson Return to Colts’ Practice Squad?
GettyThe Colts released cornerback Alex Johnson, despite a string of solid preseason performances
With several other positions on their roster needing help, the Colts decided that Johnson was expendable and released him on Monday. In doing so, he will have a bit of a head start when it comes to potentially landing with another team, as there are several squads across the league that could use help at cornerback. With a lot of strong tape from the preseason, that should help Johnson’s case when it comes to landing with a new squad.
If nothing comes to fruition for Johnson, he certainly could return to Indianapolis as a member of their practice squad. Given the timing of his release and his strong play throughout the summer, though, a return to the Colts seems unlikely for Johnson right now. If another team doesn’t end up signing him, Indy would likely be thrilled to bring Johnson back to town, but he will likely test the open market over the next few days before making a decision on his future.
Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is a Breaking News Writer at Heavy. In addition to writing for Heavy, Owen serves as the Lead NFL Editor at ClutchPoints while also working as a Content Producer for More Views Media. His work has also appeared on The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli
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