The Indianapolis Colts added a familiar name to their receiver room on Sunday, signing free agent D.J. Montgomery and waiving Liam Clifford.
It’s a depth move more than a headline-grabber, but the timing fits. Wide receiver is one of the Colts’ biggest current needs, and the position has been hit by injuries throughout camp.
Montgomery is back for a third stint with Indianapolis. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound receiver is 29 years old and first entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns. Since then, his path has taken him from the New York Jets to the Colts, then the Houston Texans, the Michigan Panthers of the UFL, and back to Indianapolis.
He spent last season on Injured Reserve with an undisclosed injury.
Across 10 career games with the Jets and Colts, Montgomery has six catches on 14 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. He has logged 174 offensive snaps and 71 on special teams. His last game action came in 2023, when he played in seven games for the Colts and caught three passes for 56 yards and his lone career touchdown.
To make room, the Colts waived Clifford, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound receiver who is 23 years old. Clifford had come to Indianapolis as a tryout player during rookie minicamp in May and briefly occupied the roster spot left open by running back Lincoln Pare, who was waived with a Non-Football Injury designation.
Clifford played 52 games at Penn State, including 15 starts, and finished with 42 receptions for 530 yards and a touchdown. He also contributed on special teams, where he played 204 career snaps and scored a touchdown on a blocked punt last season. He is the younger brother of former Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford.
The Colts’ receiver group has been thin during camp. Alec Pierce has missed the entire offseason program and training camp so far while working back from March ankle surgery. Josh Downs has missed the last two camp practices with a groin injury, and Laquon Treadwell - one of the players competing for the WR3 job - has sat out the last three practices with a hamstring injury.
With those absences piling up, the recent receiver reps have been spread around to Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Anthony Gould, Coleman Owen, Deion Burks, Eli Pancol, Sahmir Hagans, Raylen Sharpe, Ben Nikkel, E.J. Horton Jr., and Clifford.
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