Jerraud Powers injured a toe against the Miami Dolphins in week nine, and did not return to the field. A toe injury is particularly bothersome for a corner back, who spends much of his time and effort on speed, balance, and pivoting to cover opposing wide receivers. Powers had 45 tackles and one interception in eight games this season.

Drake Nevis (hand injury) ends his season on Injured Reserve for the second straight year. Nevis had 20 tackles and a sack over nine games (three starts) played this season for the Colts. With the injury to Nevis putting him on the shelf for the remainder of this year, rookie defensive tackle Josh Chapman has been activated from the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List. Chapman, a fifth round draft pick out of Alabama, has been getting healthy after suffering an ACL injury in October of last year. If he can stay healthy in his return to the field, Chapman could be a game changer on defense for the Colts. Champman, at 6ft and 316lbs, is now going to be given an opportunity to show his potential as a pro.

The second set of Colts OTAs are complete, but a NFL team’s work is really never done. While players practice will on their own until June 4th, the front office continued to tweak the team’s roster. This week the Colts lost a player to the Denver Bro…wait, didn’t this happen already?

Yes, I am experiencing some déjá vu. Another Colt is headed off to Denver, but this time in a trade with the Broncos. Get the details – and more – in this week’s #HorseBytes. Read on:

A Much Needed Cornerback

It’s no secret the Colts are quite thin at cornerback, but this week’s addition of Cassius Vaughn will add some much needed depth to the position. The Colts traded fullback Chris GRonkowski – who joined the team just last year – to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Vaughn, who will play his third season this year. Vaughn’s stat line includes 22 tackles, 1 interception (returned for a touchdown), and 9 kickoff returns for an average of 37.2 yards per return. If I had to describe the move in one word, I’d definitely call it: “smart.”

More Roster Moves

The Colts also parted ways with outside linebacker Brandon Peguese, replacing him with fellow OLB Jerry Brown. The major difference between these two players is size: Brown is 6’4″, 253 lbs, while Peguese is 6’1″, 230 lbs. The Colts, who have traditionally favored smaller defensive players for their speed, will now need a bit larger of a defensive group to accommodate their new 3-4 defensive scheme. Brown comes to the Colts from the Arena Football League.

And now the team has only four players remaining to sign from the Draft. On Tuesday the Colts reached an agreement with their fifth round selection – DT Josh Chapman from the University of Alabama – on his first contract. Chapman, recovering from a torn meniscus in his knee, could compete for the starting job at nose tackle in his rookie season. Remaining to be signed are the picks from the first four rounds – QB Andrew Luck, TE Coby Fleener, TE Dwayne Allen, and WR T.Y. Hilton.

Camp with Freeney

Do you want – or do you want your kids – to play like 7-time Pro Bowler, AFC Defensive Player of the Year, and Colts all-time sacks leader Dwight Freeney (I mean c’mon, who doesn’t?!)? Boys and girls ages 7-14 can learn from No. 93 himself at his upcoming “Old Spice Dwight Freeney Football ProCamp,” which will take place at West Park in Carmel, IN, on June 6-7. The camp will give kids the opportunity to interact with Freeney and strengthen their football fundamentals with the help of Indiana’s top football coaches. Freeney will also give daily talks and lectures, which parents will be able to attend and listen in on. This is an incredible opportunity, and there are only a limited amount of spots left.

Thank You, Dallas!

Dallas Clark is a legend, no doubt about it. He transformed the tight end position and at times was positively unstoppable for the Colts. In nine seasons with the Horseshoe, Clark caught 427 receptions for 4,887 yards and 6 touchdowns. He holds the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with 848 yards, and in 2010 he became the second tight end ever to catch 100 passes in a single season.

The Colts released Clark this year after he suffered through several injuries that limited his ability to play. This week, Clark signed with his next team: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Clark should play a fairly significant role on the Bucs, because he is replacing one of the team’s top tight ends Kellen Winslow, who was recently traded to Seattle. I wish Clark the best of luck. He will always be a Colt to me.

Happy Birthday, Captain!

Another man who will always be a Colt in my eyes is former defensive captain Gary Brackett. Brackett was also released by the Colts this year after suffering a knee injury that placed him on IR for the majority of the 2011 season. Brackett has been cleared to resume play by doctors, but he has not signed with a team yet. He celebrated his 32nd birthday on Wednesday. ATTN NFL Teams: Sign this leader and make his birthday weekend a great one! Happy Birthday, Gary!

That’s it for #HorseBytes this week! I’ll be back next Friday with more Colts news from the Twitterverse.