Cody Parkey Traded for David Fluellen
Aug 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts kicker Cody Parkey (2) and Sergio Brown (38) celebrate a Colts fumble recovery against the New York Giants in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Indianapolis Colts have brought in a new face on offense in exchange for preseason placekicker Cody Parkey.
Parkey, just hours after being waived from the roster, will be sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for running back David Fluellen. In addition to the moves, running back Phillip Tanner was waived on Wednesday.
Per the team’s official press release on Fluellen:
"“Fluellen, 5-11, 224 pounds, was a two-time First Team All-MAC honoree from the University of Toledo. He finished fourth in team history with 3,336 rushing yards. As a senior in 2013, Fluellen led the team in rushing with 1,121 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a junior in 2012, he ranked eighth in the nation with a 124.8 yards per game average, while posting the fifth-best rushing total in school history with 1,498 yards.”"
Fluellen is an interesting pickup for the Colts that are still reeling from the loss of Vick Ballard. Fluellen is a hard-nosed hitting back. He’s compared to Washington’s Alfred Morris or Detroit’s Mikel Leshoure by NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling. He is a long shot from making the team with Dan Herron and Zurlon Tipton firmly entrenched in the backup running spots. However, he’s expected to be a threat to push Tipton harder after a mediocre training camp and preseason.
On Cody Parkey:
"“Parkey was originally signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2014. He graduated Auburn ranking in the top five in all kicking categories. Parkey also totaled an SEC-long streak of 90 consecutive PATs made throughout his career, which ranked seventh in the nation.”"
Parkey never was going to make the team behind possible Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri. He did play well in his time in Indy with several long kickoffs out of the endzone and good field goal kicking as well. He also had field awareness, shown in his punt recovery on special teams against the Giants. He’ll get a chance to challenge Alex Henery for the job in Philadelphia.
Colts fans collectively breathed a sigh of relief when Tanner was released; the guy had a terrible debut in Indianapolis, including a -4 yard effort with a fumble against the Giants, contributing to the loss. Running back depth is important, but he looked lost in the backfield.