Colts’ LB EJ Speed ‘should’ practice on Wednesday ahead of game vs Texans

According to James Boyd of The Athletic, head coach Shane Steichen of the Indianapolis Colts said before Wednesday’s practice that linebacker EJ Speed should be available to participate.

Last week, Speed’s knee issue surfaced on the injury report. He had played every defensive snap in Week 6’s match versus Tennessee.
He made a successful return to practice on Thursday and continued to show improvement on Friday, when he participated fully. His status was changed from questionable to dubious on Saturday by the Colts, who had him listed as questionable earlier.

While Speed was out with an injury, Jaylon Carlies stepped in as the nickel linebacker alongside Zaire Franklin, with Grant Stuard serving as the strong safety anchor in their 4-3 formation.

After Carlies left the game, though, Stuard took over as the other nickel backer and Segun Olubi moved up to third base as the linebacker. In the end, Stuard and Olubi both made plays that changed the outcome of the game.

Even though Speed’s return to practice is encouraging, the Colts are still shorthanded at linebacker after Steichen said on Monday that Carlies will be out for a while.

Later on today, we’ll find out if his speed was limited or full-on, and it will be interesting to see his development this week.

Speed ranks third on the squad in tackles with six in six games, despite sitting out one game. He also has six pressures and a coverage efficiency of 8.8 yards per catch.

On Wednesday, DeForest Buckner and Jonathan Taylor will also be practicing with the Colts.