Chris Wormley Steps Up for the Colts - and It Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time
The Indianapolis Colts needed someone-anyone-to step up on the defensive line in Week 13. With All-Pro DeForest Buckner sidelined due to a neck injury, the Colts were missing their anchor in the trenches. Enter Chris Wormley, a 32-year-old veteran who hadn’t logged a regular-season sack since 2021 and was signed off the practice squad just days before kickoff.
And yet, in a game where the Colts fell short against the Houston Texans, Wormley quietly made his presence felt.
In just 19 snaps, Wormley delivered two quarterback pressures, including a sack, and added a run stop for good measure. It wasn’t flashy, and it wasn’t the kind of performance that’ll show up in highlight reels-but it was exactly what Indianapolis needed from a rotational lineman. With Buckner now on injured reserve and his status for the rest of the regular season in serious doubt, Wormley may have just earned himself another shot.
A Career That’s Taken a Few Turns
Wormley’s path to this moment has been anything but straightforward. Drafted in the third round back in 2017, he came into the league with solid expectations but never quite broke through as a consistent impact player.
As a rookie, he appeared in only seven games. He followed that up with full 16-game seasons in both 2018 and 2019, but his production remained modest-solid against the run, but rarely a force in the pass rush.
Then came a rare intra-division trade that sent him from the Baltimore Ravens to the Pittsburgh Steelers-two AFC North rivals who hadn’t made a deal with each other since 1996. It was a curious move at the time, but one that briefly paid off for Pittsburgh.
Wormley’s best season came in 2021 with the Steelers. That year, he started 14 games and posted career-highs across the board: 7 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and 6 tackles for loss. For a moment, it looked like he’d finally found his groove.
But the momentum didn’t last. A torn ACL in 2022 derailed his career, and he’s struggled to find a stable role since.
Before Week 13, Wormley hadn’t started a game since the injury and had appeared in just eight games over the past two seasons. His sack against Houston wasn’t just his first as a Colt-it was his first in nearly two full years.
A Timely Spark for a Team in Need
The Colts don’t need Wormley to be Buckner. No one’s expecting that.
But they do need someone who can hold the line, generate some pressure, and not be a liability against the run. And in limited action, Wormley showed he might still have enough in the tank to do just that.
Whether he’s elevated again in Week 14 remains to be seen, but with Buckner out and the Colts fighting for playoff position, it would make sense to keep riding the hot hand. Indianapolis faces a critical matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars next, and every snap, every pressure, every stop matters that much more.
Wormley’s not a long-term solution. He might not be on the roster in 2026-or even in a few weeks.
But right now, he’s a veteran with playoff experience, a chip on his shoulder, and something to prove. That’s a combination worth betting on, especially when you're trying to stay in the postseason hunt.
He may not be the name fans expected to hear in December, but Chris Wormley just might be the unexpected piece the Colts didn’t know they needed.