Colts add veteran pass rusher Carl Lawson to practice squad

The Indianapolis Colts have added veteran defensive end Carl Lawson to their practice squad, according to a report from Jordan Schultz. The move comes as the team works through a wave of injuries at defensive end early in the season.

Colts seek depth after injuries to Key and Clemons

In the offseason, the Colts attempted to offset the free agent departures of Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam by bringing in Arden Key and Micheal Clemons to work alongside Laiatu Latu. Those plans have been disrupted over the past couple of weeks, with both Key and Clemons going down.

Key is expected to miss time with a hamstring injury but has not been moved to injured reserve. Clemons, however, landed on IR with a toe injury after Week 2 and must sit out at least two more games. With Indianapolis sitting at 2-2, the club is turning to the practice squad to shore up its edge rotation.

Lawson joins a group of edge defenders that already includes Latu, JT Tuimoloau, Caden Curry, George Gumbs and Mitchell Melton, with Melton also currently on the practice squad. The Colts now have another experienced option they can elevate to the active roster as needed.

Lawson brings experience and familiarity with Anarumo

Lawson, 31, appeared in just one game for the Baltimore Ravens last season but has a history with Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. The two previously worked together with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019 through 2020, a span in which Lawson produced 59 tackles, 54 quarterback hits and 10.5 sacks across 28 games.

A fourth-round pick in 2017, Lawson broke in with a career-high 8.5 sacks as a rookie and later turned his production in Cincinnati into a three-year, $45MM contract with the New York Jets in 2021. His time in New York was derailed by injuries, including an Achilles tear that cost him the first year of that deal and a back issue that contributed to him missing 11 games and going without a sack in the final season of the contract.

Lawson played 15 games and recorded five sacks with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, but he remained on the free agent market until catching on with the Ravens’ practice squad last October. Baltimore released him in December, and he now lands on a practice squad for the second straight year. For the Colts, his arrival offers needed depth and a familiar skill set for Anarumo as the team waits for Key and Clemons to return to health.