The Indianapolis Colts announced on Saturday that the team has claimed former New England Patriots defensive tackle Byron Cowart off waivers and waived defensive end Scott Patchan in a corresponding roster move.
Originally a 5th round pick of the Patriots in the 2019 NFL Draft, the 6’3”, 300 pound Cowart (with 33 3/4” arms) has 27 tackles (14 solo), 3 tackles for loss, a sack, and a pass defensed during 14 career starts—which were all with New England during 2020.
Cowart spent all of last season on PUP/Reserve and was recently waived by the Patriots:
I was hopeful that Byron Cowart could develop into a useful interior run-stuffer. Explosive player with a good first step. Just couldn’t stay healthy and put it all together. #Patriots released him today.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) July 22, 2022
If he’s fully healthy, Cowart could push for a backup defensive tackle role on the Colts roster, where the team is actually a little light on having rotational veterans—with a number of young interior defensive linemen instead competing for roster spots.