Colts Shaquille Leonard Provides Update on Back Injury

After two back surgeries and missing almost all of 2022, Shaquille Leonard reveals if he is close to returning for the Indianapolis Colts.

Shaquille Leonard has always kept things real.

The All-Pro linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts never shies away from an honest answer. Whether speaking about his play, his team, or an opponent, Leonard will say what is on his mind.

So when asked to think back on his 2022, Leonard was honest about how much of a struggle it was.

"Last year was by far one of the hardest years of my life," he remarked Wednesday.

Leonard had surgery in June of 2022 for a nerve issue in his back that had been causing pain in his calf and ankle for a couple of years. It did not stop "The Maniac" from having one of his best seasons in 2021, racking up 122 tackles, eight forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and four interceptions. But Leonard was in pain and wanted to play and feel like himself again.

The thought was Leonard would be back in time for the beginning of the regular season. He may miss some time in training camp, but all indications were that the Colts would have their star linebacker back on the field in no time.

But as the summer went on, Leonard's recovery took longer than expected. He was doing everything he could to return, but things still did not feel right. He would not be back by the start of the season and made his season debut in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans.

The debut did not last long. Leonard only played 16 snaps before a friendly-fire hit by teammate Zaire Franklin broke Leonard's nose and gave him a concussion. Leonard would miss the next three games before returning in Week 8. However, Leonard still did not feel right, and after two more games, the decision was made for Leonard to have another surgery. His 2022 season was over.

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"Mentally, it was really, really bad," Leonard admitted. "Seeing the guys out there fighting for a win each Sunday and me standing on the sideline – too many times after the game, I’m in the locker room just boo-hooing. I feel like I let the team down not being out there to help them win. I felt somewhat embarrassed coming in each day, injured, not getting better. I felt like I didn’t want to be around for a while. It was hard."

From the outside, some people thought that Leonard was not pushing hard enough to play. He had signed a five-year, $98.25 million contract with $52.5 million guaranteed before the start of the 2021 season. Critics said Leonard had quit, that once he had gotten his money, he was going to mail it in.

That was not the case. When looking at the film, Leonard was obviously playing hurt. He was not the same player he was even a year ago, playing slow and unable to attack with the same tenacity we have become so accustomed to seeing out of #53.

"In practice, I looked slow. In the game, I looked slow," Leonard explained. "A lot of people thought I was selfish for shutting it down, having the surgery. But I think the only thing selfishly I did last year was go out there and try to play. I felt like I hurt the team last year whenever I was on the field and it sucks to, you know, sit back and watch that and sit back and see the bad plays knowing it's not you.

"There's been so many times where I'm thinking, 'Will I ever be back to 5-3? Will I ever be back to "The Maniac"?' So, there's been a lot of times where I have to watch the film of my old self and find that reassurance of who I am and never lose sight of who I was and who I can still become."

And to do that, the first step is getting back on the field. After the season ended, Leonard said he felt like the second surgery had done the trick, as he could feel the nerves firing in his calf again. Three months later, things are looking very promising.

“I’m feeling better," Leonard revealed. "Feeling a whole lot better than what I did at any point of the year last year. Moving around a whole lot better, I’ve got more power in the calf. It’s still not where I want to be. Still taking it one day at a time, one step at a time and just maintaining the focus and trying to get one percent better each day.”

It is one thing for Leonard to feel better, but his coaches and teammates have noticed a difference in him as well. Not only is Leonard improving physically, but also mentally.

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"He seems in a really good place," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said about Leonard. "I know he’s been talking about this offseason, how the workouts have been going and just the confidence he’s getting. Until we get him out there and see – but every report we’ve got from our trainers and how he’s feeling, it’s a work in progress. Shaq is never good enough where he’s at, but I know he’s in a good mindset. He feels good about the direction it’s going.”

"Obviously, having a guy like (Leonard) back, man, it's going to make a whole lot of things better," Franklin said, smiling. "I had spent some time with him in Tampa. We were both getting after it. I know for him last year was a lot for him both on and off the field. So, I think for him just getting back into that routine, getting back to that rhythm. I see him in there every day just doing everything he can to get back. So just taking his time, he's got a long road to it, but I know he's making some progress and he'll be ready to go."

While Leonard still has a long road ahead of him to return to the field, the progress being made is very encouraging. When asked if retirement was ever a consideration, Leonard responded with an emphatic "No" before the question could be finished. He is determined to get back on the field and be an even better player than he was before.

"I've been doubted my whole life and I've been proving you guys wrong for a long time and that's just been my mentality," Leonard explained. "So now it's back to Day 1 of who I am ... I know who I am and I just got to go out and continue to prove that because there's a lot of people who don't think I am who I am."

Colts fans and the rest of the NFL know who Leonard is when he is fully healthy. Hopefully, we will get to see "The Manic" doing his thing again this fall.

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