INDIANAPOLIS —The Indianapolis Colts today elevated wide receiver Steve Ishmael to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and placed defensive tackle Jihad Ward on the Injured Reserve list.
Ishmael, 6-2, 212 pounds, has spent the entire season on the Colts practice squad. He participated in the team's 2018 offseason program and training camp before being waived during final cuts on September 1. Ishmael was originally signed by Indianapolis as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2018.
Collegiately, Ishmael started 39-of-47 career games at Syracuse and compiled 219 receptions for 2,891 yards and 18 touchdowns. He finished as the program's all-time leader in receiving yardage and his 10 100-yard receiving games ranked second on the Orange career list. Ishmael's career receptions total was the second most in school history and the 12th on the ACC career chart. He tied for fourth in school history in touchdown receptions and fifth in receiving yards per game (61.5).
Ward, 6-5, 290 pounds, has spent time on Indianapolis' active roster and practice squad this season. He has played in 27 career NFL games (14 starts) in his time with the Colts (2018) and Oakland Raiders (2016-17) and has compiled 36 tackles (21 solo), 4.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and one fumble recovery. In 2018, Ward saw action in six games with Indianapolis and registered four solo tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
