Colts-Steelers First Injury Report: Multiple Starters Miss Practice

The Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers have released their first practice reports ahead of their clash in Week 5.

Both teams are seeing injuries start to pile up now that the season is in full swing. Each defense is dealing with thin position groups at different levels and have several starters listed after the first practice of the week.

Let’s break down each team’s report and what it means going into the weekend.

Indianapolis Colts Injury Report (As of 10/7)

Did Not Participate:

C Tanor Bortolini (ankle)
LB Jaylon Carlies (ribs)
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee)
WR Ashton Dulin (hamstring)
DE Arden Key (hamstring)

Limited Participants:

WR Keenan Allen (rest/groin)
RB Jonathan Taylor (rest)
CB Charvarius Ward (rest)

Full Participants:

TE Will Mallory (thumb)

Tanor Bortolini and Akeem Davis-Gaither are new names to the injury report, as Arden Key, Jaylon Carlies and Ashton Dulin’s issues were all disclosed in head coach Shane Steichen’s postgame press conference. Key is expected to miss “some time,” leading the Colts to sign defensive end Carl Lawson to their practice squad. While Jaylahn Tuimoloau is the most likely option to start in Key’s place, Lawson is likely to be elevated and rotate in at some point.

Bortolini has been a revelation for the Colts this year, anchoring the center of their stout offensive line. Dulin played on Sunday after missing two games with the same hamstring issue, so seeing him pop up is a concern. Steichen had initially considered Dulin to be “week-to-week.” Davis-Gaither, who was not included in the postgame injury updates by Steichen, now has a knee injury, raising the question if he suffered something during practice. Both he and Carlies are coming off stellar performances in which they both posted PFF grades in the 90s.

No real concern over running back Jonathan Taylor, who gets the day off after becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher in international games last week. Wednesday is typically a veteran rest day, which explains wide receiver Keenan Allen and cornerback Charvarius Ward’s absences. That said, Allen did not play in London with a groin injury and needs to show progress the remainder of the week to feel more comfortable about his status going into Sunday.

Wednesday’s practice report for #INDvsPIT pic.twitter.com/H7qNmJBqaQ
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 7, 2026

The best news of the day for Indianapolis is tight end Will Mallory’s return to practice after starting the season on injured reserve. The team opened his 21-day practice window today and not surprisingly, Mallory was a full participant. Should the Colts deem he’s ready to go for Sunday, the Colts may look to get the 27-year-old involved in the offense.

The initial forecast projects another week with a thin group at wide receiver. Injuries were part of the reason Indianapolis brought Darius Slayton in and signed him directly to the roster, but he’s yet to play despite having two weeks to acclimate. The Colts also signed former Philadelphia Eagles receiver Quez Watkins to the practice squad, so he’s in play for an elevation, but the 28-year-old hasn’t taken an NFL snap since 2023.

If there’s a silver lining to double injuries at linebacker, it would be that the door is now open for the Colts’ top draft choice in CJ Allen to get the most playing time of his young career thus far. The second-round pick has only played in two of four games thus far, registering only 11 snaps.

Pittsburgh Steelers Injury Report (As of 10/7)

Did Not Participate:

CB Jalen Ramsey (wrist)
CB Jamel Dean (ankle)
DT Cameron Heyward (non-injury-related/rest)

Limited Participants:

WR Michael Pittman Jr. (foot)
RB Rico Dowdle (toe)

Pittsburgh has a slightly better looking report, though it’s quite top-heavy. Four of the five players listed are starters.

The immediate concern for Pittsburgh would be the secondary. Both starting nickel Jalen Ramsey and outside starter Jamel Dean did not practice. Should neither be able to go, the Steelers will turn to Brandin Echols in the slot and Daylen Everett on the perimeter, though the team did sign Sean Murphy-Bunting off the Buccaneers’ practice squad on Tuesday, so he could play a role if needed.

We have signed CB Sean Murphy-Bunting to the Active Roster off the Tampa Bay Practice Squad, signed LB Marte Mapu to the Practice Squad, waived DB Doneiko Slaughter and placed DT Derrick Harmon on the Reserve/Injured List. @BordasLaw

📝: https://t.co/VWvvwTwFi5 pic.twitter.com/WV7kVe6s3l
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 5, 2026

The 37-year-old Cameron Heyward gets a rest day, so his status for Sunday won’t become clearer until later this week.

If Indianapolis fans were looking forward to seeing former Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. for the first time since leaving the organization, they may have to wait a little longer. While Pittman is listed as a limited participant with a foot injury, local Pittsburgh media spotted Pittman wheeling around the facility on a scooter, so definitely one to watch. Running back Rico Dowdle has missed the last two games with his toe injury, so he seems to be trending in the right direction.

Michael Pittman Jr. was wheeling around the locker room after practice on a one-legged scooter. Something to monitor.
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) October 7, 2026

Broadly speaking for Pittsburgh, we’ll need to see how the week unfolds before coming to any sort of injury-related conclusions. But the pass game on both sides of the ball are the early areas to monitor.

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