The Indianapolis Colts downgraded the injury statuses of linebacker E.J. Speed and cornerback Julius Brents from questionable to out ahead of the Week 14 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speed has been dealing with a knee injury this week and was only able to log a limited practice Friday. He was questionable on the final injury report but it appears his knee isn’t quite healthy enough to play in the crucial game Sunday.
Speed will likely be replaced by Ronnie Harrison Jr., who has been working as the No. 3 linebacker during the last two games. Grant Stuard and Segun Olbui also could see an increase in snaps.
Brents made his return to practice this week for the first time since injuring his quad in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns. It’s an encouraging step considering he logged two limited practices this week, but it’s no surprise the Colts are being cautious with his return.
The Colts will rely on fellow rookie Jaylon Jones and second-year undrafted cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. to cover the boundary against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
