Colts left guard Jack Mewhort does not have a torn ACL

On Sunday, Colts left guard Jack Mewhort suffered a knee injury that resulted in him being placed on injured reserve on Monday, and today head coach Chuck Pagano shared some details on what that injury is. Mainly, that it’s not a torn ACL like many expected. Instead, it’s a similar injury to the one that defensive end Kendall Langford had earlier this year.

If you recall, the official term for Langford’s injury that he suffered in training camp was a chondral defect, which is basically an articular cartilage injury. Langford wound up having it scoped and he missed a few weeks but was able to return in time for the regular season. Langford was never really the same and never truly recovered from it, however, so midway through the year the Colts placed him on IR so he could get fully healthy. It’s unclear whether Mewhort will need to undergo a procedure like Langford did, but the nice thing is that he should have enough time to get back to 100% since he’ll miss the rest of the season and then have the offseason to recover as well.

Mewhort is an important piece for the Colts up front, as he’s been perhaps their most reliable lineman this year. He started ten games at left guard and played well, and he’s done a good job since arriving to Indianapolis in 2014. He’s started 40 games (most at left guard), and he’s been a reliable and good lineman. For a Colts team that hasn’t really had much of either, that’s been a welcome sight - and that’s why it’s important for him to be able to get back to form for next year. Hopefully since he avoided an ACL tear, he’ll be able to be back to full health before next season begins.