Stampede Blue
Following their Thursday night preseason opener, the Indianapolis Colts made a number of roster moves, most notably placing impressive rookie cornerback Justin Walley (knee) on season-ending injured reserve.
The Colts also signed offensive tackle Marcellus Johnson, cornerback B.J. Mayes, and running backs Nate Noel and Nay-Quan Wright; while releasing cornerback Tre Herndon and waiving-injured linebacker Liam Anderson.
Running back Salvon Ahmed (ankle) was also placed on injured reserve after suffering a devastating injury following a hip-drop tackle during a recent training camp practice.
Johnson, 6-4, 307 pounds, has spent time with the Minnesota Vikings (2024-25) and New York Giants (2024). He originally signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent on May 10, 2024. As a rookie, Johnson spent time on the Vikings and Giants practice squads. Collegiately, he played in 54 career games (20 starts) at Missouri (2023) and Eastern Michigan (2018-22). Johnson earned Academic All-MAC honors three times (2019-21). He is the younger brother of current Colts defensive tackle Eric Johnson II.
Mayes, 6-0, 187 pounds, participated in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2025 training camp and offseason program after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2025. Collegiately, he played 43 career games at Texas A&M (2024), UAB (2023) and Incarnate Word (2021-22). Mayes compiled 124 tackles (93 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 35 passes defensed, seven interceptions and one fumble recovery. In 2024, he saw action in 11 games (four starts) and totaled 30 tackles (20 solo), nine passes defensed and one fumble recovery. Mayes led the Aggies and ranked fourth in the SEC in interceptions.
Noel, 5-9, 200 pounds, participated in the Miami Dolphins’ 2025 offseason program after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2025. Collegiately, he appeared in 55 career games (36 starts) at Missouri (2024) and Appalachian State (2020-23). Noel totaled 704 carries for 3,892 yards (5.5 avg.) and 21 touchdowns. He also compiled 65 receptions for 316 yards (4.9 avg.). Noel was a two-time All-Sun Belt selection (2021 and 2022). He was also a 2024 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Wright, participated in the Colts’ 2025 Veteran and Rookie Mini-Camps on a tryout basis. Collegiately, he played in 59 career games (17 starts) at South Florida (2023-24) and Florida (2019-22). Wright compiled 478 carries for 2,060 yards (4.3 avg.) and 21 touchdowns. He also caught 67 passes for 589 yards (8.8 avg.) and one touchdown. Wright was named to the Athletics Honor Roll in the Spring of 2024. He was a two-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll selection (2020-21) and earned SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll recognition (2019). His first name is pronounced NAY-kwahn.
At this later stage of training camp, all four players are presumably camp/preseason depth and a longshot to make the Colts active 53-man roster—and face an uphill battle from here. That being said, there’s always practice squad consideration and having an opportunity to make a lasting impression is...
