Clayton Geathers Could Return to Practice Soon
By Andrew Ites
After a disastrous offseason full of injuries to key players, the Colts are starting to get healthy again.
Indianapolis safety Clayton Geathers injured his neck last season, and required surgery for a bulging disc that has kept him out since December.
Geathers was beginning to emerge as a legitimate force at safety before getting hurt in a game against the Titans. Through 9 games, e had 5 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, and 49 tackles as he solidified his starting spot in the secondary.
The Colts have missed Geathers‘ presence in the run game as they don’t really have anyone else on their roster who can play that role as a defensive back.
Geathers’ recovery from this neck injury has largely been on a wait-and-see basis without any sort of timetable in the same manner of Andrew Luck‘s return from shoulder surgery.
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Head coach Chuck Pagano has now confirmed that Geathers is “getting closer” to a return and could start practicing for the first time this season in “a week to maybe two weeks”.
The former fourth-round pick will still have a long ways to go before he can get back into game action. Like Luck, Geathers will require a week or two of practice time to shake the rust off, especially with a neck injury as serious as his was.
If Geathers can come back this season, the Colts secondary could become a strength on this defense. Malik Hooker has played well as a rookie, Rashaan Melvin has been playing out of his mind, and Vontae Davis is working back to full health.