When the Indianapolis Colts return for training camp at the end of July, the health of Jonathan Taylor and Shaquille Leonard will be atop the list of things that people are curious to learn about. Both Taylor and Leonard sat out all of the offseason program after injury-ridden 2022 seasons forced both to miss a ton of time and have offseason surgeries.
Taylor had an ankle injury, and that’s what his procedure was for this offseason. Leonard has been dealing with a far more serious nerve issue and had his second back surgery within the last year. Now, both are on the path to recovery, and everyone is waiting to see if they’ll be ready for training camp, and more importantly, Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Colts owner Jim Irsay recently stopped by The Pat McAfee Show and updated everyone on Indy’s two biggest stars. Irsay said that “Jonathan is healed up,” which is great news. However, Leonard’s update was a bit more uncertain. Irsay said Leonard is “working, he has a chance, he’s getting a little better each day.”
Irsay added these at the end:
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) July 10, 2023
-On Jonathan Taylor: “Jonathan is healed up.”
-On Shaquille Leonard: “He’s working, he has a chance, he’s getting a little better each day.”
Full interview between Pat and Irsay in here: https://t.co/9SCZgA5k2K https://t.co/xGsRXP9o9k
Jim Irsay says Jonathan Taylor is healed up and Shaquille Leonard is getting better
It makes sense that Taylor is healed up and ready to go. When he announced that he had surgery, he explained that he should be ready to roll in time for the season. Leonard, on the other hand, has been going through a much more complicated and mysterious process.
When dealing with nerves and multiple parts of the body, the recovery process rarely has a concrete timeline. That’s why most of the updates throughout the last year for Leonard have been that he’s getting better but there’s still no timeline. Of course, fans are, understandably, a bit worried.
Hopefully, both guys will be 100% and ready to roll when Week 1 arrives. They are the two best players on the Colts and their impact on winning is evident. If Indianapolis can have both of them for a full season in 2023, this upcoming season will be much better than last year.