Getty Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard has only played in one game this season.
The Indianapolis Colts will have a new offensive leader with Sam Ehlinger making his first NFL start on October 30 against the Washington Commanders. But one of the team’s experienced defensive captains will be back on the field.
That defensive captain is 3-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard. Colts head coach Frank Reich told the media on October 28 that he will be active for Week 8.
Colts HC Frank Reich: Shaq Leonard will be active and will play Sunday against the Commanders.
This will only be the second time Leonard will be active for a game this season. He played in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, but he left in the second quarter after sustaining a hit to the head.
But it’s not all good news for the Colts defense. Reich said defensive end Kwity Paye, along with quarterback Matt Ryan and linebacker Grant Stuard, will not play and have been ruled out.
Leonard to be on ‘Pitch Count’
It’s hard to classify any matchup in Week 8 as a must-win game, but the Colts could surely use a victory after losing to the Tennessee Titans again on October 23. Indianapolis would also prefer to start the Ehlinger era on the right foot.
Leonard will be on the field to help on defense, but he will be limited.
“He had a good week. He’s ahead of schedule, but not quite there yet, so he will be on a pitch count,” Reich said. “But he had a good week.
“We feel he’s the best defensive player in the league. Our goal is to get him out there for 100% of the snaps as soon as we can, but we’re just not quite there yet. We’re going to do what we think is best for Shaq and what’s best for our team.”
Leonard’s rehab from back surgery on June 7 has been a slow process. He didn’t return to the practice field until the end of training camp on August 31, and then it took a few weeks of practice until the Colts felt comfortable making him active for a game.
The linebacker suffered a setback not to his back but to returning to his overall form when he took a hit to the head from a teammate in the first half against the Titans. Leonard sustained a concussion and broken nose on the hit.
Without Leonard on the field much this season, the Colts have only seven takeaways in as many games. Last season, they were ranked second in the NFL with 33 takeaways.
Leonard led the NFL with 8 forced fumbles and posted 4 interceptions during 2021.
Kwity Paye Ruled Out
This will be the third straight game Paye misses since he needed a cart to leave the field because of an ankle injury against the Denver Broncos on October 6.
Paye isn’t expected to miss the rest of the season. Judging by the fact the Colts elected not to place him on injured reserve, he should be back sooner rather than later.
But missing Paye another week is a significant loss. The Colts have allowed an average of 190.5 rushing yards per game the last two weeks without Paye. In the five games where Paye played to begin the season, Indianapolis yielded 96.6 rushing yards per contest.
Paye has posted 3.0 sacks, 16 combined tackles, including 5 tackles for loss and 5 quarterback hits this season. He has 7.0 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in 20 career NFL starts.