After a successful surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his ankle, Colts defensive tackle Art Jones will be placed on IR, ending his season. There was a thought that he might be able able to return later this year and was thus a candidate for IR/Designated to Return which would have kept him out for eight weeks.
The #Colts will place DL Art Jones on season-ending Injured Reserve, source said, following successful ankle surgery yesterday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2015
This is a big blow for a Colts defense that has struggled to defend the run in recent years. Jones was brought in to be an anchor the defensive line but has spent more time injured than on the field. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 last year and was never 100 percent in 2014.
With Jones one the field, opponents averaged 3.7 rushing yards per carry. When he wasn’t on the field, that number jumped to 4.6 per carry.
Considering Jones saw multiple specialists to get opinions on his injury, this seemed like an inevitable outcome. With Jones’ size and role of his position, any lower leg injury becomes more difficult to recover from.
The Colts now have two options. One, they can scour the waiver wire today and try to find a replacement. Or the team will run the position by committee with players like David Parry, Henry Anderson, and Montori Hughes getting more snaps.
Curiously, the Colts did make a move on Friday to trade for linebacker Sio Moore from the Raiders for a sixth round pick.
It would honestly be surprising if the team didn’t make some effort to fill the loss of Jones over the next 48 hours. We’ll keep you updated on the situation.