The Indianapolis Colts announced that they have activated defensive tackle DeForest Buckner off of injured reserve and added him back to the 53-man roster.
The team also activated Cameron McGrone off IR as well and placed Jaylon Carlies on IR along with waiving Evan Hull to make room for Buckner and McGrone.
Buckner was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report after returning to practice this week. Presumably, with his on the active roster, he will be available for Sunday’s pivotal AFC South matchup with Houston.
Buckner has been on injured reserve since Week 3 after sustaining a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 against Green Bay.
Getting Buckner back in the mix will provide an obvious boost to both the Colts’ run defense and pass rush units. In Week 1 against Houston, Buckner had three pressures, two sacks, and six run-stops, according to PFF.
However, with a player of Buckner’s caliber, his impact goes beyond his column of the stat sheet. When Buckner is on the field, everyone around him if better off because the attention that he draws helps create one-on-ones or mismatches for others.
In addition to having Buckner available, running back Jonathan Taylor will be a full-go. He also returned to practice this week and did not have an injury designation on Friday. For more on Taylor’s impact, click here.
(This story was updated to add new information.)