Colts’ Edge Rusher Kemoko Turay Had Second Surgery on Injured Ankle this Offseason

According to general manager Chris Ballard in his pre-draft presser, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kemoko Turay had a second surgery to repair his injured ankle earlier this offseason (via The Athletic’s Zak Keefer):

Ballard’s understanding is that Turay’s recovery is going much more smoothly during his latest post-surgery rehabilitation process—having greater access to the team’s training facility this go around.

The expectation is that Turay should be physically cleared by June (per The Herald Bulletin’s George Bremer):

Turay suffered a season-ending ankle injury during Week 5 of the Colts’ upset road victory of the future Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs in 2019.

While he returned late in the 2020 season for 7 games, he was pretty much a non-factor, recording 4 tackles (3 solo) and a sack—as his ankle was not fully right, which clearly showed on the field.

If Turay can get fully healthy again (which is a BIG if for a young player who’s had ongoing durability concerns), he could be a big addition to the Colts defense as an impactful speed rusher off the edge—for a unit that desperately needs juice.

In fact, prior to injuring his ankle in 2019, Turay was PFF’s (subscription) 3rd highest graded pass rusher with a +91.0 pass rushing grade—albeit in limited action.

He had 2 sacks and 14 total QB pressures in 69 total pass rushing snaps during the 2019 season before his breakout year unfortunately ended prematurely with the ankle injury.

However, he’s just a year removed from that dynamic form.

It’s just a matter of getting his ankle fully right.

Here’s to Colts fans keeping their fingers crossed for a full Turay recovery.