Injury News: Colts expect RB to return this season; TE ‘can’t say the same.’

On Tuesday, Colts supporters received a mixed bag of injury information from head coach Shane Steichen, including two important offensive players.

The Indianapolis Colts expect standout running back Jonathan Taylor to return at some point this season, according to head coach Shane Steichen on Tuesday. However, he ‘can’t say the same’ about second-year tight end Jelani Woods, whose comeback is still in doubt (via Nate Atkins of The IndyStar).

Taylor is currently healing from recent minor thumb surgery, and it’s likely that he’ll be out for at least another week after missing the previous two games.

The Colts are hopeful he can return sooner than a four-game injured reserve term would have required, which is still very much possible for Taylor.

Meanwhile, Woods’ initial serious hamstring injury has exacerbated into another ailment, this time to his second hamstring, while he is recuperating. It’s looking increasingly likely that Woods’ initial hamstring injury will be season-ending for the Colts, who have yet to play in a regular-season game this season.

If Taylor is inactive again, the Colts will likely stick with temporary starter Zack Moss in the offensive backfield for at least one more game.

Moss hasn’t had the same success he did at the start of the season, but it might be attributable to the fact that the Colts offensive line has suffered in run blocking as of late, rather than any apparent drop-off in Moss’s rushing skills.

Otherwise, Woods’ absence impacts the Colts offense by removing a strong receiving weapon, especially in the red zone. Woods, listed at 6’7″ and 253 pounds, is a monster at the position but also has some speed (4.61 forty time), making him a matchup nightmare on the goal line. As a rookie in 2022, he has three receiving touchdowns with the Colts.