Colts Injury Report: Darius Leonard Undergoes Back Surgery, Could Return For Week 1

Star Colts' linebacker Darius Leonard confirmed on Twitter that he underwent back surgery on Tuesday.

Darius Leonard Injury Update

According to reports, Leonard's back injury popped up during the offseason and is unrelated to the ankle injury that lingered for most of 2021 and has limited his availability this offseason. 

He was listed on the injury report with his ankle ailment through Indianapolis' bye in Week 14, but never for a back injury.

The Colts opened their mandatory minicamp today, so the timing of Leonard's surgery suggests that the team doctors picked up the severity of this issue during a season-entry physical, according to the ProFootballDocs, and wanted to address it immediately.

If the surgery is to repair a disc issue, as the Docs suspect, he will need roughly three months to recover. That timeline will put him on the PUP list for training camp, but leaves open a potential return by Week 1.

The team expects that he will be back by their season-opener on September 11. Luckily, Leonard will not suffer extensively from missing offseason activities, but he will likely be slower to open the year as he re-acclimates. 

There is concern that an overly-eager return could impact Leonard's play this season. The three-time pro-bowler is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker and is consistently at the top of the tackling leaderboards, and a comeback before he is fully healed would limit his mobility. 

Leonard, entering his fifth season, made 122 tackles while snatching four interceptions and forcing eight fumbles in 16 games in 2021.