Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard took the league by storm after being selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of South Carolina State. He led the league in total tackles as a rookie with 163, adding 12 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, 7.0 sacks, eight passes defended and two interceptions.
Shaquille Leonard quickly cemented himself as one of the premier linebackers in the NFL. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and earned a spot on the All-Pro First Team. That was just the start of what was a dominant four-year stretch.
Shaquille Leonard would make the All-Pro First Team two more times and Second Team once over the next three seasons. All three seasons were also accompanied by a spot in the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately, everything was derailed in 2022.
Injuries ruined his campaign, as he dealt with a back ailment, concussion and broken nose. All in all, he played 74 snaps in three games in what became a lost season. Things got so tough for him that he wasn’t sure he would ever play in the NFL again. He revealed that while making an appearance on Inside Training Camp Live on NFL Network.
“…It’s been hard, very emotional, a lot of stress, going through a lot of pain and unknown, and just a lot of mixed emotions, not knowing if I’d ever be back, if I would ever run the same, play the same, if I would feel no pain. And luckily, I just kind of kept my head down and just followed the plan and trusted the process, and put all the faith in the big man upstairs, and luckily I’m here just enjoying and embracing every moment.”
Training camp practices were the first time that Shaquille Leonard took part in some sort of football with pads on since his exit in Week 9 last season. It has been a long road back and one that he is very happy to have traveled successfully.
Shaquille Leonard is starting to feel like his old self, which is excellent news for the Colts. But, he isn’t looking to just get back to his old self; he wants to improve himself and his game beyond what he has reached previously.
“It’s just for one, to get to the most athletic place I can be, and then I have to be the smartest guy on the field to put myself in the best position for me to make plays,” he said. “So a lot more film study, just trying to understand what teams are going to do and put myself in position to make plays and understand that maybe I might have some slow tendencies, so I’ve just got to pick it up in another place.”
It is certainly nice to see Shaquille Leonard back on the field with his teammates. What he went through in 2022 would be enough for many people to call it quits, but he is motivated to return and become a better version of himself.
The Colts are certainly ecstatic to have their leader back on the defensive side of the ball. With Bobby Okereke departing in free agency, Indianapolis needs Shaquille Leonard healthy and on the field to help replace that loss.
