To start training camp, the Colts have placed both Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker on the active/PUP list as well as guard Jeremy Vujnovich. The active/PUP list that exists during the preseason is very different from the regular season PUP list.
We have placed S Clayton Geathers, S Malik Hooker and G Jeremy Vujnovich on the PUP List: https://t.co/QocUUwmraY pic.twitter.com/UfhEyL1K3J
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) July 23, 2018
Being placed on the regular season PUP list results in a player being ineligible for at least 6 games once going on it. However, to be added to the regular season PUP list, a player has to be on the active/PUP at the start of the preseason. Brett offers a great dive into the meaning of these list designations and it is worth a read if you need a refresher.
The news of the safeties is not altogether surprising. Given the severity of Hooker’s injury it may have surprised me more if he had managed to avoid the active/PUP list. Ballard has said the target for him to start getting back into individual workouts will be the middle of August.
While that isn’t a “sky is falling” kind of moment for the defense, Hooker missing more time getting reps doesn’t help. He is still one of the greener defensive prospects, and while he has a ton of potential, needs all the reps he can get to improve. Still, for the long-term perspective it is much better to take things slowly and allow him to fully heal than to try to rush back and experience a setback (see Andrew Luck’s 2017).
Clayton Geathers going on the active/PUP is a little bit disconcerting but not cause necessarily a cause for major concern. Here the Colts are simply covering their bases. Geathers had some sort of knee procedure in the offseason and is not fully recovered, with Ballard pitching out the arbitrary 80-85% healed number. This could mean that we can expect Geathers to end up on the regular season PUP list, but it is definitely not a guarantee of it. However, with his starting out on the the active/PUP, it is now a possibility.
Jeremy Vujnovich going on the active/PUP is a bit more interesting. He seems like a player who is squarely on the roster bubble with the influx of talent at the guard position during the offseason. His placement on the PUP is not a good sign for his longevity with the team, although it may be a saving grace for the feet of the other linemen he likely would have crushed had he been fully healthy.
It is notable that Anthony Costanzo did not end up on the active/PUP list. Ballard said he had tweaked a hamstring during minicamp and was still recovering. That bodes well for his progress, and will be worth monitoring.