INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts (3-1) put a lot of stock in second-year linebacker Jaylon Carlies this offseason. However, after getting to see barely any of him on the field this calendar year due to recovery from shoulder surgery in the offseason and then an ankle injury during training camp, Carlies may finally be nearing a return to the field.

Carlies sat out the entirety of the Colts' offseason program while rehabbing his shoulder, watching from the sidelines as new coordinator Lou Anarumo installed his defense. Carlies was able to participate when training camp began in late July, but on the eighth day of camp, on August 2, Carlies suffered an ankle injury from which he has yet to return.

When the NFL clock officially turned over to the regular season, the Colts placed Carlies on Injured Reserve, with a designation to return. That meant he must miss at least four games before the Colts can open his practice window. When the Colts do open the practice window, they have 21 days to determine if they'll activate Carlies from IR or not.

With four games now in the books for the Colts, head coach Shane Steichen was asked on Monday if Carlies will begin practicing this week.

“I'm not sure on that one," Steichen answered. "We'll see how the week goes.”

The Colts will practice this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday ahead of their matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Despite transitioning to a new defense under Anarumo, the Colts didn't make any significant moves at linebacker. They signed Joe Bachie in free agency, but he's been a special teamer in his career who could come in and be a trusted safety net for Anarumo in a new setting. He did, ultimately, win the starting WILL linebacker job next to Zaire Franklin at MIKE.

When asked about the linebacker group throughout the offseason, the Colts expressed that they liked who they had, and almost always talked up Carlies going into his second year as a reason they didn't need to make many changes to the group.

Carlies was drafted in the fifth round in 2024 as a convert from safety. He earned more playing time as his rookie season wore on, but he did miss seven games due to injury, including a broken fibula that also landed him on IR in the middle of the year.

The Colts were holding open competition in multiple spots on the defense during this summer's training camp, but WILL linebacker, where Carlies plays, turned out to be a surprising one, given how much the Colts had propped him up in the offseason.

The day of Carlies' final practice, he began working with the second-team defense and was also being used on special teams.

The Colts could now use Carlies' abilities in what has been an underwhelming linebacker group. While he may not reclaim the starting WILL spot from Bachie outright, the Colts have been rotating linebackers throughout the first quarter of the season, as Franklin, Bachie, Cameron McGrone, Chad Muma, and Austin Ajiake have all played.

According to Pro Football Focus, the five linebackers carry an average overall defensive grade of 42.9 out of 100.0, which is quite concerning.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.

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