INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen spoke to the media on Monday afternoon following the team's dominant victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and he relayed some concerning injury news that directly affects the defensive secondary.
Steichen announced that the Colts' top cornerback, Charvarius Ward, reported concussion symptoms to the team on Monday morning and is now in the league's concussion protocol.
Ward will now need to progress through the protocol, logging increasing practice time through the week, including what is deemed a full participation in practice, before being cleared by an independent neurologist.
On top of Ward's injury, Steichen confirmed that fellow cornerback Jaylon Jones re-injured the same hamstring that had cost him a few weeks near the end of training camp and the preseason.
Both times that Jones has injured this hamstring, he lay on the field for several moments while being tended to by medical staff. Steichen did not have any definitive updates on Jones' status, but there is a good possibility that the team will proceed cautiously with Jones' timeline.
Ward played 45 snaps on Sunday, which accounted for 94% of the Colts' defensive snaps. He had six tackles. Jones didn't have any defensive snaps against the Dolphins, but he did see six reps on special teams before he exited.
The official injury reports that come out following practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon will tell more of the story, but the Colts could be without a pair of defensive backs on Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos.
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.