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Colts' Irsay believes Josh Ferguson has 'chance to be special'

Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Indianapolis Colts prioritized signing undrafted running back Josh Ferguson immediately following the draft, giving him a $10,000 signing bonus and $35,000 in guarantees to join the organization.

Those numbers are exceedingly high for an undrafted free agent, but the Colts are hell bent on giving quarterback Andrew Luck a receiving threat out of the backfield - something he hasn't had since Ahmad Bradshaw left.

"We do feel that (Frank) Gore has to be managed, but he has another year," Irsay said Wednesday, according to Kevin Bowen of the team's official website. "We do like some of the backs we've added. We think guys like Josh Ferguson have a chance to be special, time will tell."

Ferguson looked sharp in Colts' minicamp, impressing coaches with his quickness and pass-catching abilities - the traits that could make him an optimal change of pace back in the NFL. He's already drawn lofty comparisons to Darren Sproles, Dion Lewis, and 2015 undrafted free agent Thomas Rawls.

"It's just in shorts, but he looks really good," coach Chuck Pagano said. "He's smart. He picks things up in a hurry. He's very, very athletic. He's a great receiver out of the backfield. We can split him wide, we can displace him formationally. He's a mismatch out in space. He's got juice. He can go. He's got great vision."

While Irsay is already predicting big things for Ferguson, Pagano noted the differences between playing in shorts and playing in pads as a caution.

"The rubber will meet the road when we get to (training camp)," Pagano said, "and we put the pads on and see if that play speed is the same."

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