The Indianapolis Colts have surprised a lot of people with their performance through Week 11 of the 2023 season. They are 5-5, right in the thick of the playoff race in the AFC, something not many people would have predicted coming into the season.
With a rookie head coach in Shane Steichen and a rookie quarterback in Anthony Richardson, growing pains were expected. But, the team has been kept afloat by veteran Gardner Minshew, who has been starting in place of the injured Richardson. The No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans.
Minshew knows the system Steichen is running after spending the last two seasons with him on the Philadelphia Eagles, so the adjustment to becoming the starter was a smooth one. However, he won’t be getting the aid in the passing game the team was hoping he would.
On Monday, Steichen confirmed what many people had been fearing and assuming. Tight end Jelani Woods has suffered a setback during his recovery from an offseason hamstring injury. That has clouded his availability, as no word has been given about whether he will be sidelined for the entire season or not.
Woods, a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Virginia, was expected to assume a bigger role in the team’s offense this season. He showed some flashes as a rookie, catching 25 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. Unfortunately, we may not see him back on the field until 2024.
Very little updates have been given on Woods throughout the season, who was placed on injured reserve after training camp with a designation to return. Given the update Steichen provided, it would not be surprising if he remained sidelined for the remainder of his second season with the Colts.
Suffering an injury to his other hamstring while rehabbing the original injury is certainly a brutal turn of events. He is going to have to go through the same rehab process, just on the opposite hamstring, which is a tenuous deed.
While the extended time away is certainly disappointing, hopefully, it provides him the chance to be 100 percent healthy heading into the Colts’ offseason program in 2024. Unless major changes are made to the depth chart, Woods should still be a big part of their plans moving forward.
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