The Indianapolis Colts have a roster that is good enough to win a lot of games as long as the quarterback play can turn out to be anything other than mediocre. Should either Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones turn out to be good, look out. But Indy can't afford to keep having as many secondary injuries as it has had.
Presumed backups JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones have missed practices with hamstring injuries. Perhaps, had the team been preparing for real games, the two might have played, but even that is iffy. Hamstring injuries can be made worse quickly.
The most long-term injury, though, is to rookie Justin Walley. He was penciled in as one of the starters at cornerback, opposite free agent acquisition Charvarius Ward. The 5'10" corner still had a lot to prove, but he was having a very good training camp until his injury.
Justin Walley's emergence with the Indianapolis Colts will need to wait until 2026
Walley tore his ACL in a joint practice between the Colts and the Baltimore Ravens a couple of days before the teams met in a preseason game. His type of injury will certainly mean he misses the season, and he might still be rehabbing when training camp begins next year.
Hopefully, he can come back just as fast and strong, but his growth as a player will be stunted by missing so much time in his first year in the NFL.
The Colts will likely need to add depth to the position or even try to sign a player who could come in and start. Indianapolis certainly has the cap space to do so with more than $17 million remaining before the season begins.
Indy could potentially bring back veteran Stephon Gilmore, who spent one season with the team. Or the team could sign a veteran playing without much starting experience and elevate Jones or Brents, once they return completely healthy.
The real shame is losing the promise that Walley brought. A third-round pick out of Minnesota, projections on him were mixed. The official NFL site had him listed as an "average backup," for instance. But in training camp, he was proving how much athleticism he had, and he appeared to be catching on to new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's system quickly.
With a good showing during the preseason, Justin Walley would have had a good chance to start in Week 1. He might have turned out to be the Indianapolis Colts' latest third-round steal and a long-term starter. Now, those hopes will need to wait until next season.