DeForest Buckner is starting to look like himself again, and that’s exactly what the Colts want to see in training camp.
During Sunday’s practice, the Indianapolis defensive tackle made his presence felt in a way that should sound familiar to anyone who has watched him wreck games before. According to the Indy Star’s Joel Erickson, Buckner picked up two wins in the offensive line vs. defensive line one-on-one period. Later, in the final team period, he got into the backfield twice and added a run stop.
“Whenever Buck is out there, you can definitely feel him,” Shane Steichen said, via Colts.com. “It's great to get him out there getting some team reps.
Again, monitoring him through training camp, where his body's at, but he feels good. He feels good where he's at.”
That’s a promising development for a player who has been easing back into action after a neck injury last season that required surgery. Buckner spent the offseason rehabbing, and his workload has been building gradually throughout camp.
At first, he was limited to individual drills. More recently, he’s been working into 11-on-11 periods, which is the kind of step forward the Colts have been waiting for.
Even with the injury limitation, Buckner was still productive when he played last season. He appeared in only 10 games in 2025, but he still ranked 24th among defensive tackles in pass rush win rate and 14th in PFF’s run stop rate metric.
For Indianapolis, the formula is simple: the defense is at its best when Buckner is on the field.
In Other News...
AD Mitchell Just Reopened A Colts Moment Fans Still Hate
Adonai Mitchells midseason move from Indianapolis to New York has brought one of the Colts most painful recent moments back into focus. The wide receiver was dealt to the Jets during the 2025 season, and the timing made the old wound feel fresh all over again after his costly fumble through the end zone against the Rams had lingered in the background for weeks.
Mitchell has spoken publicly about the mistake and about settling into his new spot with the Jets, where he is now part of the receiver group. For Colts fans, though, the trade remains tied to a play that changed the conversation around him in an instant, while Indianapolis also walked away with Sauce Gardner in the deal and a reminder that one mishap can reshape a players path fast. [Read more 🡒]
Former Colts Pick Is Becoming A Frustrating What-If For Indy
AD Mitchells change of scenery has already started to look like the kind of development Colts fans dread seeing from a player who never quite got the runway he needed in Indianapolis. After landing with the Jets, the young receiver has turned heads in training camp, drawing positive attention from his position coach and from reporters watching him work, which only adds a fresh layer to the debate over what the Colts might have had if things had clicked sooner.
Mitchell has also been candid about the role one costly moment played in his departure, taking personal responsibility for the mistake and framing it as part of his own growth. For Indianapolis, it leaves a familiar and frustrating afterimage: a talented player now showing signs of real progress elsewhere, while the Colts are left to wonder how different the story might have been if that version of Mitchell had arrived a little earlier. [Read more 🡒]