Indianapolis Colts guard Ben Ijalanawas lost for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for a second consecutive season during training camp practice on Sunday.
In need of a roster spot, the Colts dangled Ijalana in front of the other 31 NFL teams when they placed him on waivers on Wednesday.
Ijalana has less than four accrued seasons, so the only way the Colts could have moved the guard off the 90-man roster and onto injured reserve at this point in the NFL calendar is to expose him to the waiver wire.
If he's not claimed, he will revert back to the Colts' injured reserve list. For a player with no shot to play this season, it's a low-risk move by a front office that inherited Ijalana. But as the New York Giantslearned in June when tight end Jake Ballard was unexpectedly claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots, anything can happen.
All it would take is one team to be willing to pay Ijalana, the No. 49 overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, his fully guaranteed base salary of $558,886 for the 2012 season while he rehabs to return to the field in 2013.
After this season, Ijalana, who turns 23 on August 6, has non-guaranteed base salaries of $742,772 in 2013 and $926,658 in 2014.
Regarded as a possible first round pick in 2011, Ijalana's cheap cost could have a team that was high on him in 2011 considering a waiver claim today. That is, of course, if they're not put off by the two torn ACLs and pair of hip surgeries from this offseason.
Teams have until 4 p.m. ET to put a claim in on Ijalana.
