While there hasn’t been much clarity on the injury situation surrounding Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, we may have a bit more information.
Earlier in the spring, Leonard was on the sideline for OTAs, and the initial thought was that it was due to the nagging ankle injury he dealt with during the 2021 season.
Then, it was revealed during minicamp that Leonard was undergoing back surgery—an issue that hadn’t previously been known. The fifth-year linebacker told Pat McAfee that the back issue was causing problems with the healing of the ankle.
But head coach Frank Reich told the media that, to his knowledge and understanding, the two injuries weren’t all that connected.
“My understanding from talking to the trainers is at one level, yes everything is connected at some level or another but my conversation with the trainers was maybe some connection, but they are different injuries,” Reich said during minicamp.
However, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported Monday that a nerve in Leonard’s back was causing issues with his calf, which in turn kept the ankle injury lingering.
Bit of clarity on Darius Leonard's surgery: The ankle injury lingered, in part, b/c of a related calf issue. Calf wasn't firing last year, and docs believe that was due to a nerve in his back. Hence the back surgery. Team actually believes he'll be back at/near start of camp.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) June 13, 2022
Leonard is expected to miss some of training camp, but it’s encouraging that the team believes he will be ready near the start of camp rather than in the middle of it.
With Gus Bradley bringing his defense to Indy, Leonard already missed some crucial install time during the spring. He’s smart and talented enough to make up that time during training camp, but Colts fans have some PTSD when it comes to ankle and calf issues.
There is still over a month and a half before the Colts return to Westfield for training camp, and it’s then that we’ll have a better idea of Leonard’s status.
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