Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods can’t stay healthy as of late. Woods suffered a hamstring injury during last year’s OTAs and missed the majority of training camp and the entirety of their preseason games. He reaggravated his hamstring later in camp, and the Colts placed him on injured reserve to start the season.
Woods suffered another setback during rehab and injured his other hamstring. As a result, the Colts shut him down for the remainder of the season. He did not play a single game during his second season. He fully recovered from his hamstring injury and was feeling better in July.
“I feel better (than in 2022), really, because I’m starting to know my body really well and creating a routine daily to just keep building myself,” Woods said. “I feel like I’m in a good start now so I’m just trying to keep it going and take it one day at a time really, for the most part.”
Unfortunately, he got bitten by the injury bug.
The Indianapolis Colts tight end suffered an injury in their last preseason game
![The Indianapolis Colts Offensive Weapon Will Undergo Surgery After Suffering an Injury in Their 2nd Preseason Game 1 Indianapolis Colts, Jelani Woods](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/USATSI_23863512_168400517_lowres.jpg)
Jelani Woods exited the second quarter with a toe injury in the Colts’ 21-13 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday. The team initially ruled Woods as questionable but later ruled him out. The team believed that he avoided a significant injury at the time.
However, they changed their tune.
Jelani Woods will undergo surgery on his injured toe
![The Indianapolis Colts Offensive Weapon Will Undergo Surgery After Suffering an Injury in Their 2nd Preseason Game 2 Indianapolis Colts, Jelani Woods](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/USATSI_23911143_168400517_lowres-1.webp)
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Woods suffered a turf toe injury. He will undergo surgery this week and will be out indefinitely.
#Colts TE Jelani Woods is expected to have surgery this week to repair his turf toe, sources say, and he’s out indefinitely.
A rough reality for Woods, who also missed 2023 with hamstring issues. pic.twitter.com/SfMuibIRFv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2024
It’s unclear whether he will miss the start of the regular season as the Colts don’t have a specific timetable for him to return. The Colts could place him on injured reserve at the roster cutdown deadline and still be eligible to return this season. The previous rules didn’t allow teams to place eligible players who could return to the season until one day after final roster cuts, or they would miss the entire season.
A look at the Indianapolis Colts depth at tight end
![The Indianapolis Colts Offensive Weapon Will Undergo Surgery After Suffering an Injury in Their 2nd Preseason Game 3 Indianapolis Colts, Mo Alie-Cox](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/USATSI_22239360-scaled-e1720380686996.webp)
The Colts will likely have four or five tight ends on their 53-man roster, depending on whether Jelani Woods starts the season on injured reserve. Their projected starters include Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson. Their protected backups include Will Mallory and Drew Ogletree.
Alie-Cox and Granson enter the final year of their contracts and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. Mallory has three years left, and Ogletree has two years left.
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