Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner has missed the first two practices of the week dealing with a back injury. When meeting with reporters on Thursday, Buckner called himself a “game-time decision.”
No sight of #Colts S Julian Blackmon (shoulder), DE Kwity Paye (hamstring) or DT DeForest Buckner (back) at practice.
Buckner called himself a “game-time decision” earlier in the locker room.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 12, 2024
The injury occurred late in the Colts’ Week 1 loss to the Houston Texans. As Buckner frequently does, he was a steady disruptor in that game, recording three pressures, including two sacks, and six tackles against the run.
Injuries in the past have not stopped Buckner from missing time or at least not that much. In his previous eight NFL seasons, Buckner has never played fewer than 751 snaps in a season.
Buckner would add that this is a similar injury to what he dealt with last season. The Indy Star’s Joel Erickson would write that heading into the Colts’ 2023 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, a back injury much like this one limited Buckner to only 20 snaps in that game.
Buckner said that making sure the injury doesn’t get worse if he does play will be a big part of the decision-making process when it comes to his availability.
In addition to Buckner not practicing to start the week, defensive end Kwity Paye has missed the first two practices as well.
The Colts are coming off a performance against the Houston Texans where they surrendered 200-plus rushing yards, and now have a pending matchup with the Packers’ Josh Jacobs.
The strength of this Colts’ defense is their defensive front. It can’t be understated what not having Buckner and potentially Paye would mean for that unit as a whole.
The final injury report will be released on Friday afternoon.
