Colts Put Key Defender On IR, Promote Replacement from Practice Squad

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis is now the third starting defensive lineman who has landed on Injured Reserve.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis (94) celebrates after a play Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Once again, the Indianapolis Colts are having to place a starting defensive lineman on Injured Reserve.

On Tuesday, the team announced that they placed defensive end Tyquan Lewis on IR after he suffered an elbow injury late in the game during Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to James Boyd of The Athletic, the injury is not believed to be season-ending.

Here’s the play #Colts DE Tyquan Lewis got injured on in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Steelers. You can see Lewis immediately grab at his right elbow after he and Dayo Odeyingbo try to tackle Justin Fields. pic.twitter.com/AdAsQ8KUYu

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 1, 2024

As a result of Lewis' injury, the Colts have elevated defensive tackle Adam Gotsis to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and signed free agent cornerback Kelvin Joseph to the practice squad.

Lewis started the first four games of the Colts' season, accumulating 17 tackles (2 for loss), 1.5 sacks, and 3 QB hits. He is the third starting defensive lineman for the team to hit IR, joining DeForest Buckner and Samson Ebukam; the latter of whom Lewis replaced in the lineup.

Lewis will have to miss the next four games at minimum which are against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans, three of them being AFC South division matchups.

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Gotsis (6'4", 290, 32) now gets the opportunity to make an impact. He was signed to the Colts' practice squad on Sept. 17 and was elevated for last week's game, when he played 14 snaps at defensive end and made 1 tackle. Gotsis was originally a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2016 and has also spent time with the Jaguars (2020-23). In 122 career games (54 starts), he has amassed 219 tackles (25 for loss), 10.5 sacks, 41 QB hits, 3 forced fumbles, 4 fumbles recovered, and 22 pass breakups.

This is Joseph's (6'1", 195, 24 years old) second stint with the Colts in as many weeks after being cut from the practice squad last week. He was originally a second-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 NFL Draft (44th overall) but has bounced around since then with the Dolphins (2023), Seattle Seahawks (2023), and Kansas City Chiefs (2024). Joseph last played substantially in 2022 with Dallas and has spent a good deal of time on practice squads since then, earning occasional call-ups. In 31 career games (3 starts), he has 39 tackles (1 for loss), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 4 pass breakups.

With Lewis now out, this could mean an increased role for not only Gotsis, but more substantially for rookie Laiatu Latu, Isaiah Land, and Genard Avery.

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