Colts place special teams ace Ashton Dulin on IR with foot injury

Ashton Dulin will be out for at least the next four games. The Colts announced that they’ve placed the wide receiver/special teams ace on injured reserve. To fill the open roster spot, the team signed defensive tackle Chris Williams to the active roster from the practice squad.

Dulin suffered a foot injury during Thursday’s overtime win over the Broncos. The 25-year-old made a name for himself in 2021 after earning a second-team All-Pro nod for his special teams prowess, with Dulin’s 17 special teams tackles ranking second in the NFL. Besides his spot as a gunner, he also started to see a bigger role on offense in 2021, finishing with 13 catches for 173 yards and two scores. Dulin still had a significant role on ST this season, but he continued to be used on offense. Through five games (one start), he’s hauled in 12 catches for 168 yards.

The Colts have plenty of options to replace Dulin on offense, with Alec Pierce, Mike Strachan and Parris Campbell among the candidates to soak up the open snaps. However, as Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star points out, the Colts will surely miss him on ST; the team has already shuffled through kickers, and both punter Rigoberto Sanchez and fellow ST ace Armani Watts are done for the year.

Williams joined the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Wagner in 2020. He collected four tackles in eight games for Indy last season, and he made his 2022 debut last week against the Broncos.