The Bengals waived Kashif Moore on Monday, but the former UConn wide receiver wasn't out of work for long. A league source confirms to NBCConnecticut.com that Moore has been claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts, and is expected to play in Thursday night's preseason game against -- you guessed it -- the Bengals.
[A quick refresher on what happens to an NFL player when his contract is terminated. When a non-vested player (one with fewer than four year's NFL service) is waived, he must go through waivers. The waiver wire works like this: teams with the worst record in the previous season have first dibs on players who are waived by other clubs. For example, the Colts (2-14 in 201) have first crack at any player to hit the wire while the Giants (last year's Super Bowl winners) would have to wait for 31 other teams to pass on the same player. In this instance, obviously, Indianapolis very highly of Moore.]
The UConn standout saw his stock rise after impressive performances at February's NFL Combine and the Huskies pro day. And though he didn't hear his name called during NFL Draft weekend, he had at least 15 teams clamoring for his services before he settled on the Bengals.
In Cincinnati, Moore faced stiff competition at wide receiver. In addition to last year's top pick, A.J. Green, the Bengals drafted Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu in the third round this April. And while Sanu flashed potential, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy wrote last week that Sanu was "way behind" Armon Binns and Brandon Tate on the depth chart. Then there's Marvin Jones, another rookie draftee, who led the team in catches (T-5th) and yards-per catch (22.2) through three preseason games. Moore had one reception for five yards.
Now Moore's NFL journey continues with the Colts who, as it turns out, will face the Bengals in the final preseason game..
