The Colts received a roster exemption for 2024 for International Pathway player Marcel Dabo, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV in Houston.
Dabo, who is from Germany, has been with the Colts since the 2022 season as part of the program. To learn more about the International Player Pathway program, click here.
“Established in 2017, the IPP program aims to provide elite international athletes with the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills and ultimately work to earn a spot on an NFL roster.”
With the roster exemption, the Colts are able to carry 91 players on their roster through training camp rather than the usual 90.
After training camp, Dabo will be eligible for an international player practice squad exemption. If approved that’s by the NFL, it would allow the Colts to have 17 players on the practice squad instead of 16.
If on the practice squad as an exempt player, Dabo cannot be elevated to the 53-man roster at any point or be signed by another team. If he makes the 53-man roster out of training camp, the Colts do not get an additional roster spot.
Dabo has spent the last two seasons on the Colts’ practice squad. Since joining the team, he has played 86 defensive snaps during the preseason, logging three tackles along with 15 special teams snaps.
The Colts have question marks at safety, and it should be a position that’s on their radar in the draft.
Julian Blackmon will again be the strong safety, playing closer to the line of scrimmage, which provides needed stability.
However, he is only back on a one-year deal, and if the Colts do not add to this position group in the draft, they very well could find themselves in a similar situation next offseason when Blackmon is again a free agent.
Presumably, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas will compete for the deep safety role next to Blackmon. Last season, big pass plays were an issue for the Colts’ secondary, which ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in that category.
Beyond those three on the depth chart are Kendell Brooks, a 2023 undrafted rookie; Trevor Denbow, a core special teams player; Daniel Scott, a 2023 fifth-round pick who missed last season because of injury; Michael Tutsie, another undrafted rookie from 2023; and Dabo.
