Injury Report: Vontae Davis; Trent Richardson Back at Practice

Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Chuck Pagano announced today that both Colts’ cornerback Vontae Davis and running back Trent Richardson returned to practice on Thursday and should be “ready to go” for Monday night against the New York Giants.

Davis injured his knee early in last Sunday’s loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers and did not return, while Trent Richardson served as the team’s emergency 3rd running back, nursing a sore hamstring.

Oct 19, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson (34) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Both returns are significant because Vontae Davis is the Colts’ best player in their secondary and has played like a shutdown cornerback this season when healthy. His return allows the Colts to play man-press coverage on his side, while giving his safeties more leeway to make plays elsewhere.

While Giants’ wide receiver, Victor Cruz, is out for the season because of injury, their offense still features promising young rookie wideout, Odell Beckham Jr., who has caught 3 touchdowns in his last 3 games.

Richardson’s return is also important because it gives the Colts’ rushing attack more balance, while also keeping veteran RB Ahmad Bradshaw fresher throughout the course of the game. Falling behind early, the Colts only ran the ball a total of 7 times with their running backs last weekend, so hopefully Richardson’s return will help them to establish their rushing attack once again.

Also of note, Colts’ veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne did not practice on Thursday; however, according to Chuck Pagano that was simply because of rest and not because of a lingering sore elbow that forced him to miss last weekend’s game. He remains “day-to-day”.