The Indianapolis Colts announced that top outside starting cornerback Charvarius Ward has been placed on injured reserve, as he suffered his second concussion of the season during pre-game warmups last weekend.
Ward shockingly collided during warmups with teammate Drew Ogletree in what was another freak pre-game accident and was ruled out of last weekend’s win against the Arizona Cardinals with a concussion. He did not practice with the team this week, as he has yet to clear the league’s concussion protocol.
With the Colts having a BYE week in Week 11, the earliest he’ll be eligible to return is Week 12 on the road against the reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s obviously a critical blow to the Colts secondary to lose an elite CB1 on the outside during the next few weeks.
On the season, Ward has 13 tackles (9 solo) and 3 passes defensed during 4 stars. Per PFF, he’s currently their 2nd best graded NFL cornerback with a +83.4 overall grade—highlighted by a +83.0 coverage grade.
The Colts elevated cornerback Cameron Mitchell from their practice squad in a corresponding roster move.
It’s expected that veteran slot cornerback Kenny Moore II will return to the Colts this weekend, which will be a boost—even if he’s on an initial pitch count of sorts. With Ward out though, it will likely be Mekhi Blackmon and undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards on the outside again for Indianapolis—which needless to say, isn’t ideal.
Indianapolis also announced that veteran running back Ameer Abdullah has been signed from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster, and the team also elevated veteran wideout Laquon Treadwell for Sunday’s contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Backup running back Tyler Goodson (elbow) has been downgraded to ‘out.’
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