The Indianapolis Colts need to get their season on track quickly, or they’re at risk of trading away some of their best players.
It’s going to be harder to do than they’d like, though, because they still don’t have Tyler Warren available to play in Week 7.
The Colts are taking on the undefeated Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, which would be tough enough with Warren on the field.
But for the second consecutive game, the Colts will step onto the field without Warren as part of their offense.
Why Isn’t Tyler Warren Playing Today?
Warren remains out due to a groin injury.
The second-year TE had sustained the injury during practice in the lead-up to Week 6. He was ruled out shortly before the Colts played the Tennessee Titans last week.
Warren then didn’t get into a practice at all in the lead up to Week 7, which foreshadowed the fact that he’d definitely be ruled out for the matchup with the Vikings.
“The Colts believe Warren aggravated the same injury that first developed during training camp and sidelined him for two weeks,” ESPN’s Stephen Holder wrote on Friday.
How Long is Tyler Warren Out?
It’s not entirely clear how long Warren will be out, but the fact that he didn’t practice at all in Week 7 isn’t a good sign.
It’s also not a good sign that the Colts think this is a re-aggravation of a previous injury, because that suggests Warren could be at risk of doing that further even once he heals up from this particular issue.
The Colts don’t have their bye until the first week of December, so that won’t help them give Warren some extra time to recharge his batteries.
After playing the Vikings on Sunday, the Colts will then play at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 and home against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. Those are their remaining games before the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline, when the Colts could end up trading names as big as Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner and even Jonathan Taylor.
Colts TE Depth Chart
The Colts activated tight end Will Mallory from IR last week after Warren was ruled out. Mallory had six targets and caught two of them for 20 yards.
They also have the big veteran target Mo Alie-Cox, who remains a threat in the red zone.
Indy will also have Drew Ogletree active for gameday.
None of them provide the dimension that Warren does, and so the offense will have to look elsewhere to move the ball during Warren’s continued absence.
How Long is Tyler Warren Out? Why Colts’ TE Isn’t Playing Today