The Indianapolis Colts placed defensive tackle DeForest Buckner on injured reserve on Tuesday. The corresponding move to fill Buckner’s spot on the active roster for the time being was signing defensive end Genard Avery from the practice squad.
Avery was with the Colts throughout the offseason and training camp, appearing in the second and third preseason games, where he played 33 total defensive snaps.
Avery also spent 2023 with the Colts but would miss the entire season with a knee injury.
His last regular season snaps came in 2022 while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Avery played 72 snaps that season over nine games. In 2021 with Philadelphia, he played 357 snaps across 16 games, which included 12 starts.
The addition of Avery to the 53-man roster bolsters the Colts defensive end depth. Without Buckner, we very well could see either or both Tyquan Lewis and/or Dayo Odeyingbo take more snaps inside, which means fewer opportunities for either player at defensive end.
If the Colts are going to find a way to turn their season around, it begins and ends with being better against the run. That is obviously a task that has now become much more difficult without Buckner in the middle of the defense.