Indianapolis Colts

The ongoing courtship between the Dallas Cowboys and free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. appears to have reached its end, as the Cowboys are reportedly bringing in a veteran pass-catcher.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater reported that Dallas reached an agreement with receiver T.Y. Hilton on Monday. The 33-year-old had played 10 years with the Indianapolis Colts and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

The addition of Hilton gives the Cowboys the extra offensive weapon they need as the playoffs approach. But where does that leave Beckham?

Here are the top remaining landing spots for the 30-year-old now that Dallas is likely no longer in the running.

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Buffalo Bills

Beckham undoubtedly wants to join a contender to win another championship as he did with the Los Angeles Rams last season in Super Bowl LVI. He should look no further than the top team in the AFC.

The Buffalo Bills remained in the No. 1 spot after Sunday's gritty win over the New York Jets. At 10-3, Buffalo is one of the favorites to compete for a Super Bowl title this year, but the team could still use another target for star quarterback Josh Allen.

The Bills have one of the best receivers in the league in Stefon Diggs, who leads the team with 94 receptions, 1,239 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, no other player on the team has 40 catches. Allen's over-reliance on Diggs can come back to haunt Buffalo if teams focus their defense on him.

Adding Beckham to the mix would help take some attention off Diggs. For what it's worth, last month Beckham named the Bills as one of four teams he'd be interested in joining after he completed his recovery from a torn ACL.

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San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are the hottest team in the NFL, earning their sixth straight victory on Sunday with a blowout over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, star receiver Deebo Samuel went down with an ankle injury during the game, putting his status in question for the next few weeks.

Beckham could be the perfect option to fill in for Samuel if he misses extended time. If both are able to be on the field together, it would add a different dimension to an already dynamic 49ers offense.

San Francisco lost veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for at least the remainder of the regular season because of a broken foot. Rookie signal-caller Brock Purdy proved he can steer the ship in the interim with a three-touchdown performance (two passing, one rushing) against the Bucs.

The 49ers could look to add Beckham as another reliable target for the seventh-round pick as they charge toward the postseason.

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Kansas City Chiefs

After losing star wide receiver Tyreek Hill this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have had to adjust on offense. However, perennial MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes still has the Chiefs on the cusp of a seventh straight AFC West title.

While Mahomes has been able to make up for Kansas City's deficiencies throughout the regular season, cracks have begun to show. In Sunday's win over the Denver Broncos, he threw three touchdown passes but also had a season-high three interceptions.

The Chiefs had been hoping free-agent additions JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be able to make up for the absence of Hill. They've combined to reach the end zone just four times through 13 games. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce remains the top target in Kansas City's passing attack.

Beckham would provide Mahomes with another option in the explosive Chiefs offense. He could also open things up for Smith-Schuster and Valdes-Scantling. The three-time Pro Bowler would likely have a ton of fun playing in Andy Reid's scheme.

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New York Giants

It's never too late to come home. In Beckham's case, a reunion with the team he started his NFL career with would come at a perfect time.

At 7-5-1, the New York Giants are clinging to the seventh seed in the NFC and could surely use a boost as the regular season winds down. New York is 0-3-1 in its last four games and has dealt with injuries to multiple receivers throughout the year.

Darius Slayton leads the Giants with 608 receiving yards, while Richie James leads the team's wide receivers with 38 receptions and three touchdowns. Quarterback Daniel Jones ranks near the bottom of the league with 194.9 passing yards per game. Clearly, New York's air attack could use an injection of energy.

Beckham has appeared to be open to rejoining the Giants, and he had a "good dinner" with head coach Brian Daboll earlier this month. A return to New York would give him the opportunity to be a key contributor to the team's push for the playoffs.

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier could be a top candidate to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts next season, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.

Graziano reported that Frazier "has been brought up to me by more than one person lately as a name to watch" for the vacancy in Indianapolis.

Jeff Saturday has been the Colts' interim coach since Frank Reich was fired in November, but the team is just 1-3 since the switch and could be seeking a full-time replacement in the offseason.

Frazier would be a qualified candidate after six seasons as the Bills' defensive coordinator, including the last three years as assistant head coach.

Buffalo has the No. 4 scoring defense in the NFL despite being without Pro Bowl cornerback Tre'Davious White for much of the season. Last year, the unit ranked first in both points and yards allowed on the way to an 11-6 record and a trip to the AFC divisional round.

Frazier also has experience in Indianapolis as the defensive backs coach for the 2006 team that won the Super Bowl.

The 63-year-old spent that season under head coach Tony Dungy, who could be an "ally" in the coaching search considering his pull in Indianapolis with owner Jim Irsay, per Graziano.

Though Frazier did struggle in his last stint as a head coach, going 21-32-1 across four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, his resume since then should get him another chance at leading an NFL team.

The Colts could use a veteran leader after falling to 4-8-1 in 2022 despite entering the year with high expectations.

Hiring Frazier, who is Black, would also be a positive step for the franchise after widespread criticism following the addition of Saturday.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance announced it would review the team's process for naming an interim coach who had no prior coaching experience at either the NFL or college level. The organization previously argued the hire went against the "spirit" of the Rooney Rule intended to create opportunities for minority candidates.

The Matt Ryan trade is proving to be a disaster for the Indianapolis Colts as they continue to search for a reliable signal-caller in the post-Andrew Luck era.

Indianapolis fell to the Dallas Cowboys 54-19 on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, and Ryan was a big reason why the Colts dropped to 4-8-1 on the season.

Ryan completed 21-of-37 passes for 233 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He posted a passer rating of 59.8, and the Colts posted a total of five turnovers.

It was a continuation of what has been an underwhelming year for the former Atlanta Falcon. After starting the team's first seven games of the season, Ryan, who suffered a Grade 2 shoulder sprain, was benched for Sam Ehlinger in Week 8, though the move would have happened regardless of the veteran's injury.

Ehlinger was expected to start the remainder of the season for the Colts, but new head coach Jeff Saturday went back to Ryan in a Week 10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and Ryan has started ever since.

Following his latest blunder against the Cowboys, NFL Twitter ripped Ryan as a complete and utter disaster:

Matt Ryan is just a total disaster. These throws are horrible. Another turnover.

That's a wrap. Just try Foles

— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) December 5, 2022

Poor ol' Matt Ryan is not great.

— Matt Mosley (@mattmosley) December 5, 2022

Continually putting the ball in Matt Ryan's hands when you have Jonathan Taylor standing *right there* is a choice, man.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) December 5, 2022

That one's just all on Matt Ryan. Not enough zip. Too far behind Dulin. Should have been an easy completion.

— Jim Ayello (@jimayello) December 5, 2022

Matt Ryan's 13th interception of the season and second game with at least 3 picks. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw Nick Foles on the next drive. #Colts

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) December 5, 2022

Matt Ryan is so washed

— Jeff Kirby (@Jeff_Kirby412) December 5, 2022

Matt Ryan is good at throwing interceptions.

— Dean Shareski (@shareski) December 5, 2022

Matt Ryan is cooked

— Parris (@vicious696) December 5, 2022

Matt Ryan is one of the greatest QBs to ever play. Top 20 all time at a minimum. But he’s just cooked at this point.

— 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒌 🏈🇬🇪🇺🇦🇱🇻🇺🇸 (@CarasikS) December 5, 2022

Please get Matt Ryan off the field for good. I can’t keep watching this.

— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) December 5, 2022

Matt Ryan might need to hang ‘em up

— Jonny Linehan (@jlinehan9) December 5, 2022

Matt Ryan minds well hang it up

— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) December 5, 2022

Should Matt Ryan retire? pic.twitter.com/cuNjpKJFpn

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 5, 2022

Ryan entered Sunday's game having completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 2,642 yards and 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 10 games.

The 37-year-old is under contract with the Colts through the 2023 campaign with a cap hit of $35.2 million, per Spotrac. However, it's unclear if he'll still be on the roster beyond this season, and releasing him would cost the Colts $18 million against the 2023 salary cap.

At this point, the Colts should be shifting their attention to some of the best quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL draft class, especially considering they'll likely have the opportunity to land one of the best young signal-callers in the nation.

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday explained Monday night why he elected not to use timeouts during Indy's final drive of the game in a 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Coming out of the two-minute warning, Colts quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked for a loss of seven yards and then scrambled for 14 yards on second down, leaving him a few yards short of the first.

The Colts had all three of their timeouts, but rather than taking one and regrouping prior to the third-down play, they stayed in their offense and handed it off to running back Jonathan Taylor, who was tackled for no gain.

Saturday finally used the team's first timeout after that with 30 seconds left, and the Colts were then stopped on 4th-and-3 in Steelers territory when Ryan's pass was broken up, effectively ending the game.

According to ESPN's Stephen Holder, Saturday said the following when asked about the logic behind not using any timeouts earlier in the sequence, particularly before the Taylor run:

"I thought we had a good play. And I felt like we would get it. Obviously, we didn't do a great job [blocking] on the backside, so it's worse. But I felt good about the call before. Felt like we had time, we would have timeouts afterwards. We were in striking distance. So, I never felt like the pressure of needing the timeout. We just didn't execute it."

Saturday added that he would have preferred if Ryan had been able to "snap it a little bit earlier" in the play clock, but he again downplayed the time issue, saying he "never felt pressed for time."

The Colts trailed 16-3 at halftime, but Saturday's team mounted a comeback, scoring back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 17-16 lead.

Pittsburgh answered in the fourth when running back Benny Snell found the end zone from two yards out, and rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett completed a two-point-conversion pass to rookie wideout George Pickens, putting the Steelers back on top 24-17.

The Colts had their opportunities to strike back, but the offense sputtered, much as it has throughout the season.

Offensive issues played a huge role in head coach Frank Reich's firing, which led to Saturday's surprising appointment as interim head coach.

Saturday is a beloved figure in Colts history as a six-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro center, as well as a Super Bowl champion, but his coaching credentials are limited.

Prior to being named interim head coach, Saturday had only served as the head coach at Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia from 2017 to 2020.

Naturally, Colts owner Jim Irsay's decision to hire Saturday sparked some criticism, although the move initially seemed to work well, as Indy upset the Las Vegas Raiders in his first game at the helm.

He then nearly led the Colts to a huge win over the Philadelphia Eagles, who came from behind to down the Colts 17-16.

The honeymoon phase may now be over for Saturday, though, especially in the wake of Monday's failed two-minute drill. Calling timeouts may not have made a difference in the end, but the Indianapolis offense seemed hurried, and the decision to hold off on timeouts may have contributed to that.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Jeff Saturday announced Matt Ryan will remain the team's starting quarterback in the aftermath of Monday night's 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Matt's gonna continue being the guy," Saturday told reporters.

Ryan completed 22 of his 34 throws for 199 yards with one touchdown and one interception as the Colts fell to 4-7-1. He also rushed for 22 yards and lost a fumble. Indianapolis' offense finished with just 290 total yards.

Lackluster quarterback play is a major reason the Colts are beginning to fade from the AFC playoff race.

Indianapolis acquired Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP, from the Atlanta Falcons with hope he could solve the QB issues that have plagued the team since Andrew Luck's retirement in 2019.

After a stretch of mediocre play from the 37-year-old Boston College product, former Colts head coach Frank Reich announced the team would move forward with 2021 sixth-round pick Sam Ehlinger as its starter for the remainder of the campaign.

After Saturday replaced Reich following a Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots, he placed Ryan back in the starting lineup.

Neither quarterback has delivered, as the Colts have thrown just 11 passing touchdowns in 12 games.

"It's frustrating. There's no doubt about it," Ryan told reporters. "... It's one thing one week, it's another thing another week, it's another thing another week, and that part has been frustrating for sure. I think all of us in the building feel that way and are disappointed with where we're at."

The Colts aren't eliminated from postseason contention, but their remaining schedule doesn't do them any favors.

They play three of their next four games on the road against the Dallas Cowboys (8-3), Minnesota Vikings (9-2) and New York Giants (7-4). Their only home game during that stretch comes against the Los Angeles Chargers (6-5).

Indy does wrap up the regular season with a highly winnable home clash with the Houston Texans (1-9-1), but it's going to take a herculean effort to remain in the playoff mix at that point.

If the Colts are going to put together a massive turnaround, it'll have to start with much better play from Ryan and the offense down the stretch.

Clock management may not be a strength for Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday.

Trailing 24-17 with all three timeouts, the Colts got the ball back with 3:52 remaining in the fourth quarter in Monday night's matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They faced a tough task, taking over at their 7-yard line, but drove to the Pittsburgh 37 to face 4th-and-3 with two minutes to play.

Indianapolis converted, but the issue was that Saturday and the Colts failed to manage the clock. Matt Ryan was strip-sacked by Alex Highsmith on the next play and then scrambled for 14 yards on second down. The seconds continued to drain away until Saturday called his first timeout following an unsuccessful running play on 3rd-and-3. That left the Colts with only 30 seconds to spare.

The poor clock management became less relevant when Ryan's fourth-down pass for Parris Campbell fell incomplete. But it nonetheless caught the eye of NFL Twitter, and the responses were not sympathetic:

Awful clock management to be clear. https://t.co/3meL1BI4eR

— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) November 29, 2022

Jeff Saturday having three timeouts and letting a minute bleed off the clock pic.twitter.com/R9sJqdX0E1

— br_betting (@br_betting) November 29, 2022

Saturday let the clock roll like he didn’t have a timeout left.

Honestly do NOT get it.

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) November 29, 2022

Jeff Saturday is just going to keep those timeouts for next Sunday.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 29, 2022

Someone just told Jeff Saturday about timeouts.

— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) November 29, 2022

You're not going to have enough time to get the ball back Saturday, CALL YOUR TIMEOUTS MY GOODNESS MAN

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 29, 2022

This clock management. Sheesh

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 29, 2022

Jeff Saturday going with the Todd Bowles clock management strategy here

— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) November 29, 2022

Jeff Saturday’s clock management is exactly what I’d expect for a head coach with no prior experience in his third game at the helm

— Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_Cadeaux) November 29, 2022

pic.twitter.com/0ofqS3ibmC

— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) November 29, 2022

Saturday defended his timeout usage, or lack thereof.

"I thought we had plenty of time. I wasn't too concerned," he told reporters about allowing 30 seconds to tick away after Ryan's scramble. "We had plenty of timeouts. This wasn't a press for time."

Jeff Saturday on not using timeouts on the Colts' final drive:

"I didn't really think that time was of the essence."

🎥: @CBSSportsHQpic.twitter.com/ZffCokEb6D

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 29, 2022

Still, ending a one-score game with two timeouts isn't ideal. The Colts, had they converted on fourth down, wouldn't have had much time to work with.

It's the sort of moment that critics of Saturday's hiring after Frank Reich was fired—given that Saturday had no head coaching experience in the NFL or college—will point to as justification for their skepticism.

Granted, the Colts might not have been in need of a game-tying drive if they had been less dreadful in the first half, which ended with the Steelers up 16-3. And while Ryan was far better in the second half, leading the team on two scoring drives, he still finished 22-of-34 for 199 yards and a touchdown with an interception, a lost fumble inside the Pittsburgh 5-yard line and three sacks.

The Colts, now 4-7-1, couldn't afford to let a game like this slip away. They may need to win out to even have a chance at the postseason.

The finer details, especially in endgame scenarios, are incredibly important in the NFL. A failure to convert a key fourth down ended the game, but Saturday's clock management leading up to that play justifiably raised eyebrows.

Shaquille Leonard's injury-plagued 2022 season has come to an end.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Indianapolis Colts linebacker had season-ending back surgery on Tuesday with the hope this "procedure fixes his issue for good."

Leonard only played in three games this season because of injuries. He missed the first three games with a back issue. The 27-year-old made his 2022 debut in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans but left in the second quarter with a concussion.

After missing three weeks, Leonard returned against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 30. He only played a combined 58 snaps in the next two games combined. The Colts ruled him out of Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders with back and ankle injuries.

Tuesday's procedure marks the second back surgery for Leonard in five months. He had one in June to address two of his spinal discs that were putting pressure on the nerves leading into his left leg.

The procedure didn't work as expected, causing him to keep having issues that limited his availability during the season.

"The past two games, I see myself moving around better, but it’s still not there," Leonard told The Athletic's Jason Boyd last week. "That nerve still isn’t firing into my calf, so it’s just a lot of film study. I think that’s the reason why I can play today is because of how much film that I’ve watched, and I gotta put myself into position to make a play because I know I’m a step behind."

Leonard has been one of the NFL's best linebackers over the past four seasons. He was a second-round pick by the Colts in 2018 and was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 163 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

The South Carolina State product was named to the All-Pro team in each of his first four seasons, including three first-team selections. He signed the richest deal for a linebacker in the NFL in August 2021 when the Colts gave him $98.5 million over five years.

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday was juggling more than just preparation for the Las Vegas Raiders during his first week in the new position.

ESPN's Stephen Holder reported one staff member of the franchise called it a "clown show" under owner Jim Irsay, who has been met with skepticism and frustration at times this season. The shocking hiring of Saturday only exacerbated that, although the head coach managed to navigate the situation and lead the Colts to a win over the Raiders.

To say the decision to hire Saturday came as a surprise following the firing of Frank Reich would be quite the understatement. After all, his only coaching experience came at the high school level in Georgia, and he was recently working at ESPN as a commentator and for the team as a consultant.

He is a franchise legend from his time as a six-time Pro Bowl center, though, which helped him recognize how trying the situation was for the players.

"The fatigue on these guys has to be insane," Saturday said. "From the emotional fatigue, the physical fatigue of where we are in the season—all of those things."

While the coach deserves credit for how he handled things and drew praise from quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Jonathan Taylor, among others, the frustration with Irsay extends beyond the decision that general manager Chris Ballard said led to a "spirited" debate.

Holder noted those feelings date back to January when the owner publicly suggested it was time to end the Carson Wentz experiment at quarterback. The fear was such comments would decrease the trade value the Colts could get in return for the signal-caller, who they eventually moved to the Washington Commanders for two draft picks.

What's more, Irsay's influence in the decision to bench Ryan for the young and unproved Sam Ehlinger led to more tension within the organization.

Saturday went back to Ryan on Sunday, and the veteran responded by going 21-of-28 for 222 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions while even adding 38 yards and a score on the ground.

The 4-5-1 Colts are now not far behind the 5-4 New England Patriots in the race for the final AFC wild-card spot. A playoff run under Saturday would certainly help Irsay justify the move, but the owner apparently still has some work to do to improve his reputation within the organization.

Jeff Saturday spent all week hearing about why he was unqualified to be the Indianapolis Colts' head coach.

Then he subsequently went on the road and won his first NFL game. The Colts' 25-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders left Saturday feeling even more confident to push back at his critics.

"I love coaches," Saturday told Peter King of NBC Sports. "I get why people question this. But for the last week, I'm watching all the coaches on our staff, and these super-smart people with very defined roles are doing things so well, and I'm so impressed. It was like watching an orchestra."

Saturday and Colts owner Jim Irsay faced a tsunami of criticism in the six days between the interim coach's hiring and Sunday's win over the Raiders. Much of the focus was on Saturday's lack of experience, as Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher said it was a "disgrace to the coaching profession."

Saturday told King in response to Cowher's comments:

"I respect his opinion, you know? Here's the thing. God is my defender, man. I don't have to defend myself. I am absolutely comfortable in who I am. I respect all those guys. Whoever has whatever negative opinion, I can assure you, it's not gonna change who I am or what I believe I'm called to do. I have no idea, and I still don't, how successful I'll be, but we're gonna work hard at it and I believe I can lead men and lead the staff. I'm excited about the opportunity."

Former NFL lineman Joe Thomas called the hire "disrespectful" and categorized Saturday as Irsay's "drinking buddy." Saturday pushed back on the notion any alcoholic beverages were involved in Irsay's decision to hire him:

"I can assure you, I have never gone drinking with Jim. I don't even know that Jim drinks. I don't drink very much either. I don't know Joe. I'm not worried about what Joe thinks about me or anybody else. Like I told you, the Lord will defend. I feel like I've been called to do it, so I made the decision to do it. Again, no disrespect to either of those men. They are who they are and said what they said. It will not sway me."

The Colts looked like a more motivated team under Saturday, scoring nearly as many points (25) as they had during their three-game losing streak (29). Some of that can be attributed to Matt Ryan's return to the starting quarterback job and a healthy Jonathan Taylor.

That said, it's impossible to argue with Saturday's results one game into his coaching career.

When Jeff Saturday was named interim head coach of the Indianapolis Colts last week, there were obvious sacrifices he would have to make as he transitioned from an ESPN analyst to NFL coach.

One of those sacrifices was his fantasy football team. CBS reporter Melanie Collins revealed during Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders that he gave up control of his fantasy team to former NFL wide receiver Eric Decker:

Great story by @Melanie_Collins just now on new Colts head coach Jeff Saturday: Saturday had to relinquish his fantasy football team after becoming a head coach.

So, Saturday turned to former NFL WR Eric Decker, who will manage Saturday's squad the rest of the way.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 13, 2022

There was no word on whether Decker was taking over a team rife with dysfunction as Saturday did with the Colts.

Saturday, who had never coached beyond the high school level, inherited a 3-5-1 squad that didn't have an experienced play-caller on its staff after the firings of head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady. Colts owner Jim Irsay's bizarre press conference in which he defended the hiring of Saturday didn't help matters, either.