Indianapolis Colts cut nine players including Kenyan Drake, Teez Tabor

The Indianapolis Colts parted ways with seven players on Sunday. That includes running back Kenyan Drake and safety Teez Tabor, per a release from the team.

Drake has spent seven years in the NFL. He’s had stops with the Miami Dolphins (2016-19), Arizona Cardinals (2019-20), Las Vegas Raiders (2021) and Baltimore Ravens (2022). The back has rushed for 3,866 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career.

Tabor, a former second-round pick, has bounced around the league. He started his career with the Detroit Lions (2017-18) then has had stops with the San Francisco 49ers (2019-20), Chicago Bears (2020-21) and Seattle Seahawks (2022).

Tabor has recorded 50 career tackles in the NFL.

The full list of players waived by the Colts includes:

• Tyler Adams, WR
• Kody Case, WR
• Emil Ekiyor, OG
• Nick Eubanks, TE
• Lucas Havrisik, K
• Michael Jacobson, TE
• Matthew Vanderslice, T

We have waived seven players and released RB Kenyan Drake and S Teez Tabor.

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 27, 2023

Indianapolis is coming off a 4-12-1 campaign in 2022 and has a fresh staff and new quarterback entering a new era. The Colts are led by Shane Steichen, who served as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator previously.

With the No. 4 selection, the Colts picked former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson to be the face of the franchise. Steichen named the ex-Gator the team’s starting QB early in training camp.

Indianapolis concluded the preseason with a 2-1 record, defeating the Bears and Eagles but falling in the opener to the Bills. The Colts open the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Jaguars.

Colts riding with Anthony Richardson as QB1

Steichen wants to waste no time in giving Richardson the keys to the offense. Although he’s a rookie — one with limited starting experience in his football career — the Colts have their new leader under center.

The announcement came pretty quickly in training camp. And Richardson says he was stunned by the early decision from the staff.

“Honestly, I was shocked,” Richardson said Tuesday of being named the starter, per WISH-TV. “I’ve been grinding, putting in the work to try to get the title, but it’s not really all about the title.

“I’m just trying to make sure I’m ready for the team, despite being labeled as QB1 I’ve still got other guys in that room helping me to get to that standard. I’m forever thankful for them.”

Indianapolis’ quarterback situation has essentially been by committee since Andrew Luck’s retirement. The franchise hopes Richardson can provide some stability at the position.