Colts-Steelers Thursday Injury Report: Colts Get Promising News as Steelers Lose Major Piece

The injury reports for the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers are starting to take shape.

Both Indianapolis and Pittsburgh released their initial injury reports on Wednesday, giving us a look at which players are in jeopardy of missing out on the Week 5 clash. But Thursday provided some more clarity as to who’s going to be available and who will be watching from the sidelines.

Let’s take a look at both teams’ reports with one more practice to go before Sunday’s game.

Indianapolis Colts Injury Report (As of 10/8)

Did Not Participate:

LB Jaylon Carlies (ribs)
WR Ashton Dulin (hamstring)
DE Arden Key (hamstring)
Grover Stewart (rest)

Limited Participants:

WR Keenan Allen (rest/groin)
C Tanor Bortolini (ankle)
CB Charvarius Ward (rest/groin)

Full Participants:

TE Will Mallory (thumb)
RB Jonathan Taylor (rest)
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee)

Positive news for center Tanor Bortolini and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither. Bortolini practiced, albeit in a limited fashion, while wearing knee and elbow braces. Interestingly, the Colts only list the ankle as an issue, so definitely something worth monitoring. Getting Davis-Gaither back to full participation is huge, too, as Indy can’t afford another change at the green dot. Tight end Will Mallory had his second full practice in a row as well. Indy may elect to use caution with him coming off a thumb injury, but Mallory is certainly trending in the right direction and could play this weekend.

#Colts starting C Tanor Bortolini, who did not practice yesterday due to a right ankle injury, *is* practicing today. He has a brace on his right ankle as well as a brace on his left arm/elbow. pic.twitter.com/qg5TkM71nc
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 8, 2026

Only defensive tackle Grover Stewart is new to the injury report on his rest day, but Charvarius Ward is now listed with a groin issue after getting Wednesday off to rest. Another situation worth monitoring. No practice for Arden Key, as he’ll miss significant time with his hamstring injury. Jonathan Taylor was back to a regular workload after a rest day to start the week.

It could be another week with slim pickings at wide receiver for Indianapolis. Keenan Allen, a limited participant in back-to-back days, has not made any progress as he works back from a groin injury. Ashton Dulin remains week-to-week with his hamstring injury. Having not practiced at all Wednesday or Thursday, he’s trending towards another week on the sidelines. That could open the door for Darius Slayton to make his Colts debut. Slayton signed with the Colts on Sept. 22 but hasn’t dressed in the two games he’s been available for, so a chance to make a strong first impression for the 29-year-old.

Linebacker Jaylon Carlies is the third Colt with back-to-back days as a non-participant, putting his chances to play up in the air. Bryce Boettcher is the backup WILL linebacker if Carlies doesn’t suit up, but the Colts would be remiss if they didn’t give their top draft choice in CJ Allen a chance to make an impact. Allen, despite being drafted 53rd overall, has found snaps hard to come by thus far, logging just 11 across the first four games.

Oct 6, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts linebacker Jaylon Carlies (57) looks on after a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Overall, there’s definitely some positive news on the injury front for the Colts. Getting Mallory back to full health is a plus, and if Davis-Gaither and Bortolini are fit enough to play, both would go a long way towards maintaining continuity and chemistry on their respective sides of the ball. Ward and Carlies are the key ones to watch, as either one of them being unavailable changes the equation defensively. But there's plenty of reasons for optimism otherwise.

Pittsburgh Steelers Injury Report (As of 10/8)

Did Not Participate:

CB Jamel Dean (ankle)
WR Michael Pittman Jr. (foot)

Limited Participants:

CB Jalen Ramsey (wrist)
RB Rico Dowdle (toe)
S DeShon Elliott (knee)

Full Participants:

DT Cameron Heyward (non-injury-related/rest)

The major news for Pittsburgh is that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. not only is trending in the wrong direction (was a limited participant on Wednesday), but he’s expected to miss several weeks after raggravating the foot injury that’s held him out of practice this week. So a hit to the top of their wide receiver depth chart. From a Colts perspective, they will have to wait to play against Pittman for the first time since trading him to the Steelers in March.

Steelers HC Mike McCarthy said WR Michael Pittman re-injured his foot and now is expected to miss multiple weeks. pic.twitter.com/4YEtQaKuCP
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 8, 2026

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey improved from not participating Wednesday to practicing in a limited capacity. Good news for the Steelers secondary, which also opened safety DeShon Elliott’s practice window as he’s been on injured reserve with a knee injury. However, Jamel Dean has missed two straight practices, suggesting he’s a longshot to play on Sunday.

No progress for Rico Dowdle, whose two straight days as a limited participant make him a coin toss for Sunday. Dowdle has missed the last two weeks and is yet to log a full practice, so he’s likely to miss his third consecutive game.

Nov 2, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward watches the game against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Cam Heyward was back to full participation after a rest day. The 37-year-old veteran remains one of Pittsburgh’s most valuable pieces.

Looking at how the week has gone thus far, Pittsburgh would’ve hoped to be in a better position by now. But instead, they’re down at least one offense skill player for several weeks, likely without their backup running back and are banged up in the secondary. Friday will be crucial for the team to figure out who they’ll be playing without as they look to maintain a home winning streak against Indianapolis that stretches back to 2008.

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