Colts release Darius Slayton before he plays a game for them

The Indianapolis Colts released wide receiver Darius Slayton on Friday morning. The team announced the move on X, and Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network both posted the release within minutes.

What is confirmed

The Colts put out a one-line announcement: "We have released WR Darius Slayton." The team gave no reason and did not announce a corresponding roster move with it.

Slayton never played a game for Indianapolis. The Colts signed him on Sept. 22, and he did not appear in a game over the next few weeks. He first showed up on the practice report on Oct. 9 with a knee injury he picked up in practice that day, and the team ruled him out for the Week 5 game against Pittsburgh the next afternoon.

The team has not given an update on the knee since then, and it did not mention the injury in Friday's announcement.

Why it matters for RSO rosters

Slayton entered the league in 2019, so as a vested veteran he should go straight to free agency rather than through waivers. Any team can sign him once he is healthy enough to pass a physical.

For the Colts, the move takes a name off a receiver depth chart that was already thin in Week 5, when Ashton Dulin was out and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was elevated from the practice squad. It does not change much for the top of the room, since Slayton had not earned any targets there.

What to do now

If you roster Slayton, he is now a free agent in real life with no team and an unresolved knee injury. In shallow and mid-size RSO leagues, he is a drop. In deep leagues, you can hold him on your bench for a week if you have the space, but check whether his contract is worth the cap room before you cut him.

Colts receivers who stay on the roster get no real bump from this. Do not spend a waiver claim on Westbrook-Ikhine or another depth receiver because of it.

Watch for two things next. The first is whether Slayton signs anywhere, which would also tell you his knee is healthy. The second is the Colts' practice report and any signing or elevation they make at receiver before their Week 6 game.