The Indianapolis Colts have several decisions to make over the next few days as they cut the roster down to 53 players to prepare for the start of the regular season.
One of the big questions that surrounds the Colts going into Tuesday’s major cutdown day is what the team will do with linebacker Shaquille Leonard, who missed all of training camp and the preseason as he works his way back from offseason back surgery.
While the hope is that Leonard will suit up for the Week 1 opener, there’s a chance his rehab extends into the season. If that’s the case, the Colts may consider transferring Leonard to the reserve/PUP list, which would automatically keep him out through the first four games.
Head coach Frank Reich told reporters Sunday that no decision has been made on that front yet.
“No decision at this point,” said Reich. “I don’t think he could’ve done one ounce more or one thing more any better to prepare himself to have the quickest comeback that he can have. Now, it’s just a question of when he can get cleared, to get off of PUP and get back on the practice field.”
Reich mentioned they might be able to project how many days Leonard will be out until his return, but opted against doing so. They’ve kept all of this pretty close to the vest throughout the entire process ever since Leonard had surgery this offseason.
The Maniac is expected to return at some point during the early part of the season. Whether that includes a trip to the reserve/PUP list may not be answered until after the roster cuts have been finalized Tuesday.
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