Roster cutdown day on Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts came with a bit of a surprise. One of the players that GM Chris Ballard chose to move on from was defensive tackle Colby Wooden.
It was just this offseason that the Colts acquired Wooden in a trade that sent Zaire Franklin to Green Bay.
The thought was that Wooden would be a rotational member of the Colts' defensive tackle unit. But instead, Ballard went in a different direction.
So what was the reasoning behind this move?
Well, to put it simply, Ballard thought that Tim Smith and Jerry Tiller played better this summer.
#Colts GM Chris Ballard says DT Tim Smith and Jerry Tillery played better than DT Colby Wooden, who was waived and claimed by the #Saints.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 1, 2026
Smith and Tillery are both listed as
backup nose tackles on the depth chart, while Wooden -- who has nose tackle experience -- mostly played the 3-tech and was behind DeForest Buckner and Adetomiwa Adebawore.
Wooden has the versatility to line up across multiple gaps and, during his time in Green Bay, was productive against the run while flashing some pass rush potential.
Stats are stats, and not the be-all, end-all, but for what it's worth, Tillery didn't log a single quarterback pressure or tackle this preseason over 69 defensive snaps, according to PFF.
This roster decision begs the question: why ask for Wooden in the Zaire Franklin trade? He has nose tackle experience, but if the plan was to move him back to the 3-tech, then from the start, that was already a crowded role.
Wooden was claimed on waivers by the New Orleans Saints.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Ballard on reasoning behind surprise release during roster cutdowns
