Report: Colts expect Vontae Davis to miss at least first month of season

Last week in practice, Colts cornerback Vontae Davis rolled his ankle and, after it started to swell up, the team held him out of Saturday’s preseason game. It turns out the injury is pretty significant, as Chuck Pagano said today that Davis has a medial strain and is week-to-week (which is a Paganoism for “he’ll miss time”).

The Colts went out and signed veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie to add help to a position that was desperate for it, but it doesn’t sound like good news for Davis. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Colts expect Davis to miss at least the first month of the regular season.

That’s not good news for the Colts, as it means that their best defensive player will miss a significant amount of time to begin the regular season. That makes the signing of Antonio Cromartie even more crucial, as he likely will step into a starting role alongside Patrick Robinson (who is dealing with a groin injury and is day-to-day). Other players, like Darius Butler, D’Joun Smith, and Jalil Brown, will also need to step up - but all three of them are also working their way back from injuries right now as well. You can tell why Chuck Pagano called the position “scary” right now, and not in a good way. The Colts needed to make a move regardless, but it makes more sense now why they didn’t just go out and sign an undrafted guy; instead, they signed a proven veteran in Cromartie, and it’s likely because they realize Davis will miss extended time. Entering the 2016 season, Davis was probably the player the Colts could least afford to lose on the defensive side of the football, so this is very tough news to be sure.