Colts LB Jerrell Freeman Expected to Return to Practice this Week

Yesterday was a pretty crazy day for the Colts, as they had a player arrested, that same player released, a player signed, and a player suspended four games.  So if you missed what head coach Chuck Pagano said in his press conference yesterday afternoon, that's ok.  He did provide some injury updates that are worth noting, however.

Pagano said that there were no new major injuries suffered in Sunday's win, which is a great thing, and he also said that he expects linebacker Andy Studebaker, safety Colt Anderson, guard Hugh Thornton, and linebacker Jerrell Freeman to return to practice this week, hopefully Wednesday.

Someone later asked a follow-up question about Freeman and defensive lineman Arthur Jones, and Pagano said that, "It looks like Free should be out there if not Wednesday, probably Thursday. Art's still week-to-week on that thing. He's making progress but he's not as far along as Freeman is right now."

While it sounds like we still won't be seeing Arthur Jones, that's to be expected after he suffered a high ankle sprain just a few weeks ago.  But the expectation is that Jerrell Freeman will return to practice this week.

Freeman, the Colts starting inside linebacker, has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury.  His absence has been felt, as Josh McNary hasn't done a great job and it's hard to replace both Freeman's talent and his experience (which is much more than McNary's).  Will he be ready to play this Sunday when the Colts host the Baltimore Ravens?  That remains to be seen.  Just because someone returns to practice doesn't mean he will be ready for the game, but it's looking much better than it has for Freeman.  Hopefully, he's able to go, because his addition to the defense would be huge against a good Ravens team.

Also of note, it sounds like Hugh Thornton will be back after missing last week.  He will step back in as the Colts' starting right guard whenever he's ready to go - which will hopefully (and likely) be this week.  The Colts are also expected to get key special teams players Andy Studebaker and Colt Anderson back - and Anderson very well might be thrust into a much bigger role, too, as he's likely a candidate to fill in for LaRon Landry at safety during Landry's suspension.  While it remains to be seen who will step in as the starting safety, it's good news that Anderson will be back this week so that he can be an option if the coaches wish to use him there.