When it comes to leaders for the Indianapolis Colts, there's no doubting that Zaire Franklin is one of them. The outspoken linebacker started his career in Indianapolis as a seventh-round pick, showing up only on special teams, but worked his way up, even being named a team captain in 2020.
By 2022, he was having a breakout season, and has never looked back - including being named to the Pro Bowl last season, when he led the league in tackles.
Franklin has rarely had issues remaining healthy, appearing in every single game throughout his career except for one. In Week 9 during the 2024 season, he suffered an ankle injury and toughed it out through the rest of the season. Once the offseason rolled around, though, it was clear his ankle wasn't healing correctly, and that he would need surgery.
Indianapolis Colts welcome Zaire Franklin back to training camp
It was known from the beginning that Franklin would miss offseason practices, but it appeared he was making good progress throughout his recovery. Then it was revealed that he was going to miss the beginning of training camp, which was a huge blow. It was his first chance, along with the rest of the defense, to begin learning the new scheme under Lou Anarumo.
Fortunately, Franklin returned this weekend - and it was an emotional moment.
#Colts' Zaire Franklin returned to the field this weekend. Here's Zaire on his return. Head to https://t.co/33Ugb8Kcl4 for plenty of camp coverage via insiders @JoelAErickson & @NateAtkins_ ->https://t.co/bKDBxuM7Lg pic.twitter.com/DKaCWXU9ne
— Clark Wade (@ClarkWade34) August 3, 2025
"I can’t lie, I almost shed a tear yesterday when I first got on that field," he told the media. "I’ve never missed that much time before. So, just the journey that I have been through – God’s grace and guidance, working through it. Shout-out to the medical team here in Indy. They definitely took care of me all summer, pushing me, dealing with me every day. You know I'm a lot to deal with. So, it felt great to be back out there with the guys.”
Franklin still isn't fully back; he started over the weekend with just individual drills, and Sunday, he began seven-on-seven drills, though in a limited fashion. But his biggest fear has been that he would become disconnected from his teammates. Thankfully, that has not happened, with Franklin explaining he made sure to still participate in whatever ways he could.
"I just was very intentional, just making sure I was still locked in with the guys, whether that was at practice, meetings in the building, just trying to be very much present," he said. "And then honestly, when it came to my rehab, it was a process. I didn't take anything personally; I gave myself grace. I committed to my journey and my plan and trusted the trainers that I had around me."
Franklin has been the player who wears the "green dot" to receive in-helmet communication for the defense, a role which Cam Bynum has taken over in his absence.
But now, with Franklin back, it's assumed that he'll return to that leadership position, and it hasn't come a moment too soon for him. He added, "It feels good for me to be out there, so we can be one band, one sound, and get to hunting together."