Indianapolis Colts’ defensive end Tyquan Lewis returned to practice this week after being designated to return from injured reserve.
Lewis suffered an elbow injury in the team’s Week 4 matchup with Pittsburgh that did require surgery. He has been on injured reserve since.
Lewis was a full participant in all three practices this week, and on Saturday, the Colts added him back to the 53-man roster, releasing Genard Avery as the corresponding move.
Tyquan Lewis injury update
Lewis was listed as questionable on Friday’s final injury report and maintained that designation on Saturday, even after being added back to the 53-man roster. However, inactives for the Colts’ Week 12 matchup with the Lions have been released, and Lewis will be available.
Colts defensive end depth chart
Any time a player returns off of a lengthy absence, we never quite know what the workload will look like in that first game back, specifically, whether Lewis is a full-go or if he will be on a snap count.
But regardless, he will slide back into the Colts’ defense end rotation, alongside of Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, and Dayo Odeyingbo.
With Lewis back, this is the healthiest that the Colts’ defensive front has been since the start of the season. Prior to the injury, Lewis was a starter at defensive end opposite of Paye, and often saw his snaps come on early or more run-heavy downs. Even with all that missed time, he still ranks fifth among defensive ends in PFF’s run-stop rate metric.
Success for the Colts defense against the high-powered Lions’ offense begins with containing their dynamic running back duo. Having Lewis back in the mix will provide a boost in that regard and in an area where the Colts could use some help.
