What we know about the injury status of Jonathan Taylor, Shaq Leonard, Nyheim Hines, others
Channeling the classic 70s TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter,” Colts running back Nyheim Hines serenaded teammate Jonathan Taylor with a "welcome back" in the locker room Thursday.
Taylor practiced for the second day in a row after practicing twice last week before sitting out against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Taylor logged a full practice after practicing in limited fashion Wednesday.
There seems to be optimism within the locker room about Taylor returning to action Sunday against the Tennessee Titans and those within the Colts facility are used to running back Taylor being an ironman. They're used to him piling up superhuman performances after leading the NFL in rushing last season, and for the first time in a long time, Taylor is appearing to be mortal.
The guy who never missed a game or practice due to injury for as long as he can remember seemed like he was trending toward suiting up last week, but the third-year pro knew something wasn't quite right with his injured ankle. After two days of practice, Taylor listened to his body and came to the decision after consulting with team doctors and trainers to sit out against the Jaguars.
"You just know when you're not right," Taylor said. "You just know when you're out there and you know your body, you know, I'm not moving the right way. You just know those things. And of course, the experience that the training staff has, they know as well.
"So it just was a tough decision, but I just wasn't able to (play). ... That's why this week I'm happy. First day (of practice) felt kind of good. So hopefully we keep continuing in the right direction."
Thursday Taylor took handoffs from quarterback Matt Ryan and made low-effort cuts during the open portion of practice. After taking a few handoffs, Taylor did some work with resistance bands before participating in pass catching drills.
Hines (concussion) logged his second straight full practice. Linebacker Shaquille Leonard also (concussion/nose) practiced in full after being limited Wednesday. Defensive end Kwity Paye (ankle) remained out of practice for the second straight day. Defensive tackle Grover Stewart (rest) also sat out practice Thursday. Wide receiver Keke Coutee (concussion) was limited in practice.
The status of Leonard and Paye will go a long way in deciding Indy's ability to stop bruising running back Derrick Henry and the Titans rushing attack.
Since Paye got hurt in the fourth quarter of the Thursday night game against Denver, the Colts have allowed 315 rushing yards and three TDs on 44 carries, 7.2 yards per rush. Prior to Paye's injury the Colts allowed 411 yards and 3 TDs on 133 carries, good for 3.1 yards per rush.
Jacksonville gashed Indy for 243 yards on the ground and three touchdowns last week. Linebacker Zaire Franklin said the defense doesn't need to make any sweeping changes in its run defense, they just need to stick to the fundamentals.
"I think it was just about cleaning up some of our run fits," Franklin said. "Obviously, they had those two explosive runs on those drives that kind of set them up. I think as a defense we're really really stout when we can limit teams from getting those long explosive plays and making them earn each first down.
"When a team pops a 40-yard run in the midst of a drive usually it's hard to keep them out end zone and keep them off the scoreboard. So for us it's just cleaning up our little mistakes and being clean. That's all it is. But we worked on those things and we're looking for an opportunity to prove that on Sunday."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts injury report: Updates on Jonathan Taylor, Shaq Leonard, others
