The Indianapolis Colts released a player many believed would make the team's 53-man roster

The Indianapolis Colts have begun the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

They announced nine payers they were either releasing or waiving. One of which was a move that surprised many fans.

The Colts released Ronnie Harrison Jr.

The Colts announced they are releasing safety. Ronnie Harrison Jr. was one of three players competing for the team's starting free safety job after he started three games for the Colts last season as a linebacker.

Harrison Jr. played his entire NFL career prior to last season with the Colts as a safety. After moving there last season, you could tell almost instantly that his skill set was better suited for the LB spot. So when he opened up training camp working as a safety, many were puzzled by the move. }

The Colts have released him, and he will be free to sign anywhere. But I personally am not ruling out a potential reunion between the two sides. Harrison Jr. being a veteran with at least four accrued NFL seasons allows the Colts to release him instead of subjecting him to waivers. This could allow the Colts to protect a young player from being poached off of waivers, for example, Darius Rush last year.

We will have to wait and see if the Colts choose to bring back Harrison Jr. ahead of Week 1, but they've done this multiple times over the past few years. Two examples that come to mind are wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie last season and running back Phillip Lindsay in 2022.

Related: Indianapolis Colts roster cut tracker: The long road down to 53 players ahead of the NFL regular season

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