Indianapolis Colts

Colts Place Art Jones on Injured Reserve; Promote Kristjan Sokoli

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:53 p.m. ET

Fansided, Luke Schultheis/FanSided via Horseshoe Heroes

The Indianapolis Colts announced on Monday that the team has placed defensive lineman Art Jones (groin) on injured reserve and promoted defensive end Kristjan Sokoli from their practice squad in a corresponding roster move.

The 30 year old Jones had missed this past weekend’s game against the Minnesota Vikings due to the injury, and apparently it was severe enough for the team to shut him down for their remaining two games all together.

Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Arthur Jones (97) in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Originally signed to a 5-year, $33 million deal in the 2014 offseason, Jones tenure with the Colts has been marred by both injuries and a 4-game PED suspension.

The 7-year veteran missed all of last season with a season-ending ankle injury and only appeared in 8 games with the Colts this year with both the aforementioned 4-game PED suspension and now the season-ending groin injury costing him significant time–significantly limiting his ability to make a meaningful impact.

In his 8 starts for the Colts this season, Jones recorded 30 tackles.

Having never played more than 9 games for the Colts in a season (2014) and with the team being able to save $5.15M in salary cap room next season, Jones looks like he’s a strong candidate to become a cap casualty for the team this offseason. He simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy on the field enough to warrant his high cap figure.

Regarding Sokoli, he was originally a 6th round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2015 NFL Draft.

The 6’5″, 300 pound Sokoli appeared in 1 game for his former team this past season, only at offensive guard instead. He was the first Albanian-born player to play in an NFL game.

After being released by the Seattle Seahawks as part of their initial 75-man roster cuts in August, Sokoli was subsequently signed to the Colts practice squad in late September before being promoted to their 53-man active roster on Monday.

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The Colts will deploy Sokoli as a defensive lineman; however, where he played full-time at the University of Buffalo. The former Bulls standout appeared in 10 games during his senior season, recording 32 tackles and 3 tackles for loss.

The 25 year old should provide additional defensive line depth for the remainder of the season and contribute immediately on special teams if active on game day for the Colts.