Three AFC teams spent the week before their Week 5 games rearranging the back end of their rosters, in a flurry of moves reported across the league on October 8.
The Indianapolis Colts added experience to their linebacker room, signing veteran Germaine Pratt to a one-year contract, according to reports. The move reunites Pratt with Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, under whom he played earlier in his career. Pratt, recently released by the Las Vegas Raiders, was reported to have drawn interest from multiple teams before choosing Indianapolis, where he adds veteran depth to a group being reshaped on the fly.
In Miami, the Dolphins placed cornerback Cornell Armstrong on injured reserve with a hamstring issue, the team announced. To manage the numbers in a thinning secondary, Miami added Kendall Sheffield to the practice squad and elevated Jordan Colbert to the active roster.
The Los Angeles Chargers made a similar calculation in their backfield, placing running back Omarion Hampton on injured reserve. The team signed veteran Nyheim Hines to the practice squad and promoted Kimani Vidal to the active roster, adjusting both its running-back rotation and its special-teams depth for the coming weeks.
None of the moves will headline a pregame show. But October football is often decided by exactly these margins — by whether the fourth cornerback and the third running back can survive four quarters when the starters cannot. Week 5 will grade each front office’s homework.
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