Colts Rusher Jonathan Taylor Placed on COVID-19 List, Center Ryan Kelly Ruled Out
INDIANAPOLIS — The hits keep coming to the Indianapolis Colts roster as rookie running back Jonathan Taylor was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday, according to a team release.
The Colts (7-3) will also be without Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly, who has a neck injury, in Sunday’s AFC South Division home showdown against the Tennessee Titans (7-3) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Taylor, a second-round selection who leads the Colts with 518 rushing yards, becomes the third starter lost to COVID-19. All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was placed on the list on Wednesday and defensive end/tackle Denico Autry, who has a team-high six sacks, will miss his second consecutive game since being designated inactive due to the virus.
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 90 yards on Sunday.
Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports
Outside linebacker Bobby Okereke was ruled out on Friday with an ankle injury, bringing the number of Colts sidelined starters to five.
Rookie kickoff returner Isaiah Rodgers has also been downgraded to questionable with a knee injury. Rodgers returned a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown at Cleveland in Week 5. He’s averaging 29.8 yards on 18 kickoff returns for 537 yards.
Buckner is the anchor to the defensive line with a team-high 16 quarterback hits, a third of the team’s total. Okereke is tied for third on the team in tackles.
The Colts will likely start third-year Nyheim Hines at running back with Jordan Wilkins as backup. Hines had a career-high 115 scrimmage yards, including a touchdown receiving and rushing, in the Colts’ 34-17 road win over the Titans on Nov. 12 in Nashville, Tenn.
Rookie Danny Pinter will make his first NFL start at center. The former Ball State offensive tackle was drafted in the fifth round.
Center Joey Hunt and defensive end Cassius Marsh were added to the active roster from the practice squad as COVID-19 replacements. Rookie defensive tackles Kameron Cline and Rob Windsor were also elevated from the practice squad. Wide receiver Ashton Dulin, who will likely handle kickoff returns if Rodgers can’t play, was activated from injured reserve.
Taylor has started eight of 10 games this season, and in addition to his rushing yards and four touchdowns, has caught 26 passes for 227 yards.
Kelly, who became the NFL’s highest-paid center with a $50-million extension just before the regular season began, is missing his first game this season. The 2016 first-round draft choice has started all 61 games in which he’s appeared.
Should Pinter struggle at center and the Colts need to turn to Hunt, he’s played in 34 career games with 11 starts in his time with the Colts as well as the Seattle Seahawks (2016-19).
Marsh also provides experienced depth to a shuffled defensive line. He’s played in 90 career games, including nine starts, in playing for the Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, and Seahawks.
Windsor, a sixth-round draft choice out of Penn State, made his NFL debut last Sunday as a reserve with one solo tackle in a 34-31 overtime home win over the Green Bay Packers.
Cline was signed to the Colts practice squad as an undrafted rookie after participating in the offseason program and training camp. He is making his NFL debut after a standout college career at South Dakota.
Dulin has played in 20 games the past two seasons since being signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2019. This season, he has five receptions for 70 yards, a 3-yard rush, and seven kickoff returns for 188 yards with 10 special-teams tackles.
