Good News: Colts Return a Former First-Team Player to the Offensive Line

admin | December 11, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

A well-known player is returning to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad following a humiliating defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jared Veldheer, a former starting tackle, has rejoined the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. To accommodate Veldheer on the practice squad, the Colts declared the release of safety Brandon Wilson in tandem.

“Blast from the past: Veteran OT Jared Veldheer is coming out of retirement and signing to the #Colts practice squad today, per source,” wrote NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on X.

After attending Hillsdale College, Veldheer was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

With the Raiders (2010–2013), Arizona Cardinals (2014–2017), Denver Broncos (2018), Green Bay Packers (2019), and Colts (2020), he would play for 11 seasons. He would start 114 of his 121 career games over those years, and in 2020, he would play a few games with the Indianapolis Colts.

In 2020, Veldheer would start both the Colts’ season-ending game and their postseason wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills. Following this, he would give up playing football.

Veldheer returns a few seasons later. Is this just to give the practice squad some starting experience for defensive looks? Or will Veldheer be included to the 53-man roster due to his experience? If this occurs, he might override Blake Freeland, the underperforming rookie, for the backup tackle spot, particularly if starter right tackle Braden Smith’s knee issue keeps sidelining him.

With four games left in the regular season, the Colts are in the final stretch of their regular season and we’ll see what happens.