The Colts are set to receive some reinforcement on both sides of the ball. The team announced that they’ve activated center Ryan Kelly and linebacker Jaylon Carlies from injured reserve.
Kelly landed on injured reserve in early November with a knee injury. Kelly dealt with lingering injuries through the start of the season (including a neck issue that kept him off the field for Week 4 and Week 5), and the lineman is set to make his fewest appearances since his sophomore campaign.
Currently in his ninth professional season, Kelly struggled a bit to begin the year, with Pro Football Focus grading him 21st among 42 qualifying centers. If this trend continues, it will mark the third time since 2021 that Kelly has graded as an average or below-average center (although he did rank eighth at the position in 2023). Both Tanor Bortolini and Danny Pinter have filled in at center while Kelly was out of the lineup.
A fifth-round pick, Carlies got some early looks, garnering 143 defensive snaps in seven games (three starts). Before suffering a lower-leg injury in Week 7, the rookie collected 21 tackles and one sack. Carlies has shown plenty of versatility already, lining up on the defensive line, in the box, and even at cornerback, so he shouldn’t have any issues finding his way back into the lineup.
In corresponding moves, the Colts waived safety Darren Hall and promoted cornerback Tre Flowers and guard Mark Glowinski as standard gameday elevations. Hall got into four games with the Cardinals earlier this season before getting waived. He was subsequently claimed off waivers by the Colts but hasn’t gotten into a game with his new squad. Flowers joined Indy’s practice squad in October but hasn’t seen any playing time. After sitting out the first few months of the season, Glowinski caught on with his former squad back in November. With the Colts dealing with injuries along their OL, the veteran has already been tasked with starting two games for the team. This will mark Glowinski’s third promotion, so there’s a chance he earns a regular roster spot next week.