DeForest Buckner is back on the practice field, and that alone changes the conversation inside Colts camp.
Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the veteran defensive tackle has been cleared after the neck injury that ended his season late last year and the complications that followed his post-season surgery. The Colts are not planning to throw him right back into the deep end, though. As Ballard put it, “Buck’s had some years in the league … so we’ll work him back in slowly.”
That cautious approach is exactly why this part of camp suddenly matters so much. Buckner needs to be ready for the Baltimore Ravens on September 13, and until then the Colts have a real opening in the middle of their defensive line. Lou Anarumo has plenty of bodies to sort through, but after Buckner there are no sure things.
Grover Stewart is part of that equation, too. Buckner’s longtime running mate is coming off his least effective complete season since 2021, and with Stewart turning 33 in October, fewer snaps would make sense. That puts even more pressure on the group behind them to prove it can hold up.
At the front of that competition should be Adetomiwa Adebawore and Colby Wooden. Both are 25, both are former fourth-round picks, and both need to show they can be more than just pass-rush specialists.
Adebawore, the Northwestern product, is the only holdover from last year’s backup group after Neville Gallimore’s departure this offseason. He has played in 43 games over the past three seasons and saw his most extensive action in 2025 when Buckner was dealing with injuries.
Wooden’s path looks similar. He was acquired from the Green Bay Packers in the Zaire Franklin trade, and like Adebawore he got his most extensive playing time in 2025. The issue for both is easy to spot: size.
Adebawore is listed at 285 pounds. Wooden comes in at 273.
That can work when they’re attacking the pocket, and it helps explain why both grade better as pass rushers than against the run in Pro Football Focus’s grades. But inside, lighter bodies can get moved around in a hurry.
The division only sharpens that concern. Jacksonville’s projected interior offensive line starters average 307 pounds, the lightest in the AFC South.
Houston’s rebuilt interior averages 317. Tennessee may be bringing up the rear in the division, but it is still the biggest group of the bunch, with Peter Skoronski, Austin Schlottmann, and Cordell Volson averaging 322 pounds.
The Colts do have size among the backups, but not necessarily the kind that inspires confidence. Derrick Nnadi is the oldest in the mix, but he hasn’t played a lot of quality football in several years.
Cameron Ball, the rookie free agent, has never appeared in an NFL game. Both bring bulk, but both would have to surprise to carve out rotation roles.
Ballard also pointed to Michael Clemons as a possible option on the inside. Clemons is a defensive end with the kind of quickness and length that could translate in the middle, but at 267 pounds he does not solve the size issue behind Buckner and Stewart.
Jerry Tillery and Tim Smith are in the mix as well. Tillery is with his fifth team in the past five seasons, while Smith spent his rookie year on the Colts’ practice squad.
So the door is open. Buckner will be eased back in, Stewart may get some reps off, and the rest of the interior group now has a real chance to make its case. For Anarumo and line coach Marion Hobby, the challenge is clear: figure out who can be trusted when the games start counting.
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Pierce is still working back from ankle surgery and is moving toward a return to practice in the near future, while Buckner is being brought along carefully after his own offseason issues. For a Colts roster trying to build momentum without losing ground to injuries, the next few weeks will matter just as much as the first day of camp, especially with so much attention still on how quickly the lineup can get back to full strength. [Read more 🡒]