Colts sign Pharaoh Brown, put Sean McKeon on IR

Training camp attrition claimed another body in Indy on Thursday. Adam Schefter broke the news that the Colts signed free agent tight end Pharaoh Brown while simultaneously placing fellow tight end Sean McKeon on injured reserve, a straightforward corresponding roster move that says a lot about how thin this position group can get in August.

This isn't Brown's first rodeo with the Colts. He spent time in Indianapolis back in 2023 before bouncing through New England, Seattle, Miami and most recently Arizona in 2025, where he caught just 2 passes across 7 games. At 6-5, 246 pounds, Brown has never been a big-target guy in the passing game — 74 career catches for 752 yards and 3 touchdowns across 94 games — but he's built a decade-long career as a blocking tight end, which is exactly the kind of camp body teams stash for depth.

McKeon's situation is murkier. The Colts didn't detail the injury, just that he's done for now unless Indianapolis works out an injury settlement down the road. He'd been with the organization since signing to the practice squad in August 2024 and has 46 career games under his belt between the Colts, Lions and Cowboys, though he's mostly been a special-teamer and depth blocker rather than a real factor in the passing attack — 6 catches for 38 yards and a touchdown for his career.

None of this threatens the top of the depth chart. Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox are still the names running the show at tight end, with Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory also ahead of Brown in the pecking order. Realistically, Brown is a camp flier brought in to compete for a practice squad spot and add a blocking body while the Colts sort out who's healthy heading into the season. It's a small move, but it's the kind of transaction that quietly shapes who's even in the building come final cuts.