News broke Tuesday that Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods' recent toe injury would require surgery.
The initial report said he would be out indefinitely, but there is now a timeline for his recovery. Bleacher Reports Jordan Schultz shared that Woods' surgery was completed, and he is now expected to be sidelined for about four months.
This report comes just after the Colts' preseason finale win over the Cincinnati Bengals and ahead of the NFL's cut-down deadline on Tuesday, August 27. There was growing concern about whether Woods would make the team's 53-man roster. But with the injury, it seemed safe to assume he would end up on the team's injury reserve for another season.
The wording Schultz used in his report shared that the Colts are "hopeful that Woods can return around Christmas time in time for a playoff push." I think this points towards the team using one of the NFL's two new "designated to return IR spots." This new rule allows each NFL team to designate two players to be placed on IR and designate them to return this season without ever placing them on their initial 53-man roster. This is perfect for a player like Woods, which will allow the Colts to keep the four other TEs in the room for the time being but not have to make an unwanted cut elsewhere in order to carry Woods on the roster while he recovers from this injury.
