Colts could potentially get a boost to their defense at the perfect time as they fight for a playoff spot

The Indianapolis Colts have had to fight through multiple injuries to key players on their defensive line throughout the 2024 season. They've slowly but surely got players back on the field, and a Week 1 starter who was placed on IR is now returning to practice ahead of their Week 12 matchup against the Detroit Lions.  […]

Destin Adams NFL News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Indianapolis Colts Shane Steichen high-fives Indianapolis Colts linebacker Grant Stuard (41) during pregame warm-up Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, ahead of a game against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts have had to fight through multiple injuries to key players on their defensive line throughout the 2024 season. 

They've slowly but surely got players back on the field, and a Week 1 starter who was placed on IR is now returning to practice ahead of their Week 12 matchup against the Detroit Lions. 


Colts activate DE Tyquan Lewis' practice window

Sep 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis (94) celebrates after a play Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Tyquan Lewis was named a Week 1 starter for the Colts following Samson Ebukam tearing his Achilles. Lewis would start during the team's first four games of the season before suffering an elbow injury that landed him on the IR. After making this move, the team expressed optimism that Lewis' injury wouldn't be season-ending, though they chose not to share a timetable for his possible return. 

Today, they opened up his practice window, meaning he has 21 days to return to be added to their active roster, or he will revert to the IR, and his season will officially be over. Like previous weeks, the Colts elected Wednesday to be a walk-through instead of an actual practice. This means the team makes an estimation of what a player's status would have been if they had held a practice. The team elected to estimate that Lewis would have been a full participant on Wednesday, so the hope is he can prove that estimation correct on Thursday when the team actually takes the field for practice. 

Once the team chooses to activate him back onto their 53-man roster, the team will have to release a player to open his spot. When/if that happens, Lewis will join the edge rotation of Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, and Dayo Odeyingbo as players who have legit roles in this Colts' defense. And with them currently one game outside of the AFC playoff picture, getting that boost to the defensive line and the defense couldn't come at a more perfect time.