Indianapolis Colts Release Inside Linebacker Amarlo Herrera
By Kyle Nishida
The Indianapolis Colts released inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera Wednesday evening. This move is a bit surprising because some people felt Herrera had a future with the Colts.
The Colts drafted Herrera in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he was primarily a reserve or practice squad player. He only appeared in three games and was exclusively used on special teams.
NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport was one of the first people to report Herrera’s release.
The #Colts are releasing LB Amarlo Herrera, source said, their sixth round pick from last year. Bit of a surprise.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 10, 2016
Last preseason, Herrera had some noticeable plays, which why the Colts kept him around throughout the regular season. It is interesting how the Colts’ drastic roster turnover this offseason has affected the team’s opinion of him.
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Herrera’s release could be a sign that the Colts like what they have seen from their other inside linebackers. Even with Herrera gone, the Colts still have six inside linebackers.
Obviously, D’Qwell Jackson, Nate Irving and Sio Moore are the Colts’ primary linebackers. However, the play of backups Josh McNary, Edwin Jackson, Antonio Morrison and Junior Sylvestre probably the reasons for Herrera’s release.
In recent practices, Colts’ practice observers began to notice Herrera had fallen to the bottom of the depth chart. If Herrera had fallen down to seventh on the depth chart, then there really was no reason to keep him.
As a result, the Colts were probably going to cut him eventually, which is why cutting him now makes sense.
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The Colts will have to make more cuts during the preseason, and remember, they still have seven inside linebackers. It would not be surprising to see the Colts cut two or three more uys from this position group in the next couple of weeks.
As a side note, the Colts also waived running back Abou Toure, who recently suffered an undisclosed injury. Toure spent time in training camp with the Colts’ last season and joined the team this offseason after Tyler Varga retired.