INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts have activated three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard and he is expected to make his season debut Sunday against AFC South rival Tennessee.
Leonard missed all of the Colts offseason activities with an ankle injury that bothered him since his rookie season. Then in June, he had back surgery to alleviate the ankle pain.
The surgery forced Leonard to miss all of training camp, the entire preseason and Indy’s first three regular-season games even though he was a full participant at practice most of September.
Still, the Colts (1-1-1) didn’t want to rush their top defensive playmaker into action and Leonard told reporters Thursday that he wouldn’t play until he thought he could make a difference.
Leonard’s 538 tackles since 2018 rank third in the NFL and his 17 forced fumbles since 2018 are second behind only T.J. Watt (21).
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