Colts add OL to 53-man roster, release LB to make room

Ahead of Sunday’s Week 13 game against the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they have signed offensive lineman Atonio Mafi from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

To make room for this new addition, the team released linebacker Liam Anderson.

In the last two games, Mafi was a practice squad member who was named to the gameday roster against the Jets and Lions, although he did not see any offensive snaps.

After roster cuts, Mafi was released by the Patriots and signed to Indianapolis’ practice squad, where he had spent the 2024 season up to that point.

Mafi is a former fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of New England’s UCLA. He played a pretty big role as a rookie last season, playing 458 regular-season snaps in 12 games, mostly at left guard.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mafi allowed 32 pressures and five sacks. He was released by New England during roster cuts and then signed to Indianapolis’ practice squad.

If the Colts pursue a move at right guard while Dalton Tucker struggles, Mafi or Mark Glowinski, who was called up from the practice squad, are the two options.

With Tanor Bortolini out and Ryan Kelly still on injured reserve, the Colts find themselves in a bit of a hole on the interior offensive line, hence the move to add Mafi to the roster.

Anderson, meanwhile, was signed from the Colts’ practice squad to the 53-man roster prior to Week 11. He didn’t see any defensive snaps in those two games, but was a key contributor on special teams with 27 snaps.

This decision to add Mafi and release Anderson was likely due in part to roster numbers in each position group. As previously mentioned, the Colts are thin on the interior offensive line, while Liam was one of six linebackers before his release.