Stephen Holder

Colts receiver and return man Griff Whalen, who lost his spot on the active roster to veteran Josh Cribbs, has re-joined the team with a spot on the practice squad, according to an NFL source.

Whalen was released on Saturday when the Colts promoted running back Zurlon Tipton in the wake of Ahmad Bradshaw's season-ending leg injury. But more specifically, he swapped places with Cribbs, who had an impressive debut on special teams during Sunday's win over Jacksonville.

Whalen went unclaimed through the waiver process, but a handful of teams called and expressed mild interest once he became a free agent, the source said. Ultimately, none offered Whalen a contract, leaving him available to re-join the Colts.

Teams are permitted to sign practice-squad players from any team to their active rosters. That means a team with interest in Whalen can freely offer him a spot on their 53-man roster during the season's remaining five weeks.

Whalen, in his third season out of Stanford, has been on the Colts' roster for 19 games over the past two seasons.