The Indianapolis Colts were back on the practice field on Thursday ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the New York Jets and so was defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
#Colts DT DeForest Buckner (foot), WR Michael Pittman Jr. (back) and S Julian Blackmon (shoulder) are practicing today.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 14, 2024
The Colts didn’t hold their usual Wednesday practice, but with the bye week still a few weeks away, the team instead held a walkthrough. An injury report was still released, but it was an estimation of what each player’s status would have been had practice been held.
For Buckner, he was listed as a non-participant with a foot injury. This is a different injury than the high-ankle sprain that landed Buckner on injured reserve from Weeks 3-7 of this season.
As of now, we don’t have any further specifics about the injury, but Buckner did play a career-high 59 snaps this past Sunday against Buffalo. We will learn later on Thursday afternoon whether he was a limited or full participant at today’s practice.
As we’ve seen over the last few weeks, the DeForest Buckner effect is very real. There is the obvious impact he brings from the disruption he creates on a regular basis.
Over the last three games, the 14 pressures he’s generated ranks third among all defensive tackles as does his pass-rush win rate.
But Buckner’s impact goes beyond his own stats. He’s a force-multiplier, meaning his presence alone makes those around him better with the attention he draws, creating one-on-ones or advantageous matchups for others.
Not including Sunday’s game against the Bills, the Colts’ pressure rate as a defense this season with Buckner on the field was at 44.4 percent versus just 30.4 percent without him.
We will see what the rest of the week holds, but him being back at practice is a good sign for Sunday.
