WESTFIELD, Ind. — The Colts have already pulled the plug on one of the veterans they signed in free agency this offseason.
Indianapolis released cornerback Corey Ballentine on Friday, cutting ties with a player who signed a one-year deal worth $482,500 in guaranteed money and $1.337 million overall despite a rash of injuries at the position.
The Colts brought back veteran nickel Chris Lammons to replace Ballentine on the roster, part of an overhaul of the cornerback position the past couple of days.
Faced with hamstring injuries to returning starter Jaylon Jones and former second-round pick JuJu Brents, Indianapolis signed veteran cornerbacks Tre Herndon and Duke Shelley on Thursday morning.
It remains unclear how long Jones and Brents will be out of the lineup.
“Jaylon’s is a little more severe than JuJu’s, but I don’t have a timetable on their return,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said.
Ballentine was signed in the offseason to bring experienced depth to the roster, but he’d had trouble cracking the top two units in the first week of training camp. Third-round rookie Justin Walley has lined up as the starter along with big-money prize Charvarius Ward and slot cornerback Kenny Moore II, and Walley has often played nickel with the second-team unit, leaving Ballentine to play with the third team.
In Thursday night’s practice, undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards and second-year developmental player Alex Johnson were the second-team cornerbacks on the outside.
Lammons has played in 18 games for the Colts over the last two seasons, taking 95 snaps in the slot defensively and 246 on special teams. Nearly all of Lammons’s defensive work has come in a couple of spot starts when Moore was unavailable in the slot; Walley’s presence may mean Lammons has to make the team because of his abilities in the kicking game.
Get IndyStar’s Colts coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Colts Insider newsletter.