close
close
You are Here
Colts sign Derek Rivers and Greg Ward to replenish roster after injuries
vefms

Colts sign Derek Rivers and Greg Ward to replenish roster after injuries

WESTFIELD — The Colts have added a pair of veterans to their roster at positions that have been hit hard by injuries in training camp.

Indianapolis will sign former Eagles wide receiver Greg Ward, a league source told IndyStar on Wednesday after a workout Tuesday. The Colts will also sign veteran defensive end Derek Rivers, according to a league source, who spent the final month of the 2023 season on the practice squad.

The Colts waived safety Kendell Brooks and wide receiver Ethan Fernea with an injury designation, making room for two signings to bolster the team’s depth heading into joint practices with the Cardinals this week.

The addition of Ward adds another slot receiver a week after the Colts lost starter Josh Downs to a sprained ankle and then took another hit when Fernea went down with an injury. Rivers fits into a defensive end position that already had lost Samson Ebukam to a torn Achilles and then saw veteran Genard Avery go down with an injury to his upper left leg last week. Avery did not play against the Broncos on Sunday.

Greg Ward Stats

Ward, 29, caught 88 passes for 768 yards in Philadelphia from 2019-21, posting his best season during Philadelphia’s disastrous 2020 campaign, when Ward caught 53 passes for 419 yards and six touchdowns.

Repeating that success has been difficult.

Ward, a former Houston quarterback, followed up his 2020 campaign with seven receptions for 95 yards and three touchdowns in 2021, Steichen’s first season as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator, before suffering an injury in 2022 training camp that kept him off the active roster. Ward spent most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons on Philadelphia’s practice squad.

Derek Rivers Stats

Rivers, 30, is a former third-round pick who has 3.5 sacks in seven NFL seasons with the Patriots, Rams, Texans and Colts. The veteran defensive end last saw action in 2021, recording nine tackles and one sack for Houston, before a torn biceps cost him the entire 2022 season. He spent time on the Colts and Texans practice squads last year.

Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin

Related Posts