Colts release Darius Slayton without a single snap

The news came out Friday morning and spread fast, with the national insiders all posting within minutes of each other.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

Colts released veteran WR Darius Slayton.

Indianapolis signed Slayton on September 22 for one job: be the deep threat after Alec Pierce went on injured reserve. That never happened. Slayton never appeared in a game for the Colts. Early on he was still learning the offense, and Shane Steichen said himself that Slayton had only been in the building for 2 weeks. Then a knee injury showed up on the Friday injury report, and he was ruled out of last weekend's game. By the following Friday he was gone.

Steichen didn't try to dress it up when reporters asked him about it that afternoon.

Mike Chappell

@mchappell51

Colts HC Shane Steichen: Release of WR Darius Slayton. 'Just didn't work out.'

That's about all there is to say. Slayton came over from the Giants with 7 seasons in New York and a real track record for a guy who was never a WR1: 106 career games, 78 starts, 296 catches, 4,435 yards at 15.0 a catch, and 22 touchdowns. You sign that guy to win jump balls and stretch the field. When he can't get on it, there's no reason to keep paying him. The problem the Colts signed him to fix is still there, though. Without Pierce or Slayton, Indianapolis has been stuck in the short and intermediate game, and defenses have been sitting on it.

The receiver room also got thinner in the same press conference. Ashton Dulin is out with a hamstring injury, and linebacker Jaylon Carlies is out with a ribs injury.

Mike Chappell

@mchappell51

Colts ruled out WR Ashton Dulin (hamstring), LB Jaylon Carlies (ribs).

There is one possible bit of help coming. Tight end Will Mallory has been on IR but has practiced for the last 2 weeks, and the team will decide on activating him either later Friday or Saturday.

Mike Chappell

@mchappell51

Colts will make decision on activating TE Will Mallory later today or Saturday. On IR, but been practicing last 2 weeks.

So the thing to watch this weekend is who catches the ball downfield for Indy. With Pierce on IR, Dulin ruled out and Slayton released, the Colts are leaning on whoever is left plus maybe a tight end coming off IR. Slayton becomes a free agent and gets to look for a team that needs a vertical guy, and there are always a few of those around. The Colts paid for a month of a deep threat and got zero snaps out of it.