Indianapolis Colts just dodged a bullet with budding star despite initial scare surrounding his health and availability

Despite a scare regarding one of the best up-and-coming players on the Colts’ roster, the Colts are breathing a major sigh of relief after dodging a bullet with a key offensive weapon.

Rob Gregson — NFL News Writer

Aug 19, 2026 10:19 PM EDT

The Indianapolis Colts are breathing a giant sigh of relief on Wednesday night. Per Jordan Schultz, tight end Tyler Warren is going to be just fine. he shouldn’t miss much time and could be back as early as next week.

This is a major bullet dodged by the Indianapolis Colts because that wide receiver room has been banged up throughout training camp. Wide receiver Alec Pierce has yet to return to full participation, or really any participation at all. Indianapolis just signed wide receiver Keenan Allen to replace what the team lost with a guy like Michael Pittman Jr. But none of it compares to Tyler Warren, who is the straw that stirs the drink for the Colts’ offense.

Why Tyler Warren is so critical to Indianapolis

Warren is just as deadly as a run blocker opening holes for running back Jonathan Taylor as he is getting vertical up the seam and running routes over the middle of the field. He became quarterback Daniel Jones’ best friend early in the regular season before everything went awry for the Colts.

The fact that it was just a minor abductor strain is about the best-case scenario you can ask for. When the initial news drops and you see that Warren is injured with something involving a groin, the natural reaction is concern. Soft tissue injuries can linger. They take time to get over, and even then, a player might not be 100%.

So the fact that all of that seems to have been avoided by the Colts and by Warren is great news for that franchise. Indianapolis has dealt with enough attrition this training camp, and getting its most versatile offensive weapon back on the field quickly puts the offense in a much stronger position heading into Week 1.