Jelani Woods playing for Colts in 2023 seems unlikely after his most recent setback

Entering the 2023 season, Jelani Woods was one of the Indianapolis Colts players with the most excitement surrounding him. Aside from being an athletic 6-foot-7, 253-pound tight end, Woods was coming off a promising rookie season where it was clear he could be a dominant weapon with more opportunity. This left fans and media members excited about what he could do in year two, this time with Shane Steichen as his head coach.

Unfortunately, Woods hasn’t taken the field yet this season and it’s starting to seem increasingly unlikely that he will at all. The second-year tight end suffered a hamstring injury in camp that forced him to start the season on injured reserve. Then, week after week passed without Woods being activated and this left fans concerned. On Monday, that concern grew even stronger.

Head coach Shane Steichen announced to the media on Monday that Woods suffered a setback during rehab, injuring his other hamstring. The severity is unclear, and when Steichen was asked if this set back will keep Woods out for the season, Steichen said he didn’t know.

Colts tight end Jelani Woods injures other hamstring during rehab

Jelani Woods has already missed 10 games and there’s no telling how long this setback will keep him out. With only seven regular season games left, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be seeing Woods this year. That’s unfortunate for several reasons. For starters, he’s a young player in the NFL that needs his reps to develop. Additionally, he’s exciting and could be a really big part of the offense.

As a rookie, Jelani Woods played in 15 games and caught 25 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He did all that while only playing 33% of the offense’s snaps. His role was likely to increase this season, but because of injury, his only role has been rehabbing.

Fortunately for the Colts, they have a lot of depth at tight end with guys like Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree, and Mo Alie-Cox. However, the production from the tight end room could definitely be better. Fans will have to continue to wait and see when Jelani Woods will contribute to that production.

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