INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Colts needed a quarterback with knowledge of their offense. Dan Orlovsky needed a job.
On Tuesday, Orlovsky rejoined Indianapolis _ the team he spent training camp with this summer.
A person familiar with the deal confirmed the signing Tuesday night, but requested anonymity because the Colts had not yet announced the move.
Injuries forced the Colts (0-3) to add depth at quarterback before Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay.
Four-time league MVP Peyton Manning has missed the first three games after having neck surgery Sept. 8. The recovery was expected to take at least two months and could keep him out the entire season, though the Colts are hoping he will return to practice in December.
Manning’s replacement, Kerry Collins, missed some practice time last week with a sore throwing shoulder and left Sunday night’s game against Pittsburgh with concussion-like symptoms.
Team officials have not yet said whether he was diagnosed with a concussion and there are questions about whether he’ll be able to play this week.
The only other active quarterback on the roster is three-year veteran Curtis Painter, who beat out Orlovsky as the No. 3 quarterback.
Indy’s backup quarterback is punter Pat McAfee, and team vice chairman Bill Polian told listeners to his weekly radio show Monday night that the Colts would not go into this week’s game with only Painter and McAfee.
“Kerry is feeling better today (Monday),” Polian said. “He has to go through a workout protocol, and we know more later in the week. With Kerry a little dinged up we probably would not use Pat in that role (as the backup), we probably would use someone else.”
That would be Orlovsky, who was released in the Colts’ final cutdown in September.
He was 25 of 54 for 386 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions during the preseason. He also was sacked five times.
Painter is coming off his best game as a pro. He was 5 of 11 for 60 yards with no TDs and no interceptions, but lost one fumble on a sack.
Orlovsky has played in 13 NFL games with Detroit and Houston, starting seven times with the Lions in 2008. He’s completed 150 of 272 career passes for 1,679 yards with eight TDs and eight interceptions.
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