As Indianapolis Colts All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard works his way back from injury, he recently shared some encouraging footage of him training.
Shaquille Leonard missed most of the 2022 season, only playing 74 snaps across three games for the Indianapolis Colts. Instead of dominating on the field like everyone has grown accustom to seeing him do, Leonard has been trying to get healthy, recovering from two back surgeries in the last year to address a nerve issue that has caused him to play with pain for the majority of his NFL career.
Throughout his recovery process, there haven’t been many substantive updates from Leonard or the Colts. For the most part, all everyone has been hearing is that Leonard is improving but there’s no timetable on his return. However, one of Leonard’s training partner did say the linebacker was looking good.
On Thursday, Shaquille Leonard gave fans a look into his training, posting a clip of him doing linebacker drills to his Instagram story. Though he hasn’t returned to the field yet for the Colts, seeing Leonard move around like this through drills is certainly an encouraging sign.
Shaquille Leonard shares a video doing linebacker drills
With the Colts in their second week of OTAs, Leonard is still on the sideline, but he’s clearly working his back, and with it only being June, there’s no reason for Indianapolis to rush him back to the field. The team will take their time with Leonard, rebuilding strength and getting him back to form.
Leonard’s full form is the best linebacker in football; he proved that just two seasons ago in 2021. Playing in 16 games, Leonard recorded 122 tackles, eight forced fumbles, four interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. He made the Pro Bowl and was also First-Team All-Pro that season.
When he’s on the field for the Colts, his play-making ability has a very noticeable impact on the outcome of games. Indianapolis surely can’t wait for Leonard to be completely healthy and neither can the fans. But no one wants to see him back on the field more than Leonard himself.