The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2022 NFL season with very high expectations. After all, the roster is chalk full of talent. They have arguably the best running back in the game in Jonathan Taylor. They added former NFL MVP Matt Ryan to play quarterback. Their defense was top 10 last year and should be again this year.

Yet, they managed to tie the lowly Houston Texans in Week 1, 20-20. The defense did their part, holding the Texans to just 299 total yards of offense. But turnovers and poor play on key downs led to the Colts falling behind 20-3.

The Colts are hoping for a better result in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. One thing that could help would be the presence of their All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard. Leonard missed the game against the Texans after having offseason back surgery. The procedure was attempting to resolve pain in his lower extremities because of an impinged nerve.

The Athletic's Colts reporter Zac Keefer captured Leonard's comments about potentially playing this week.

“Feeling better than last week. Practice going pretty smooth,” said Leonard. When the Colts linebacker was asked about playing Sunday, he said simply “We gonna find out.”

Were Leonard able to suit up, that would be a big boost to the Colts defense. The Jaguars are no longer slouches offensively. Trevor Lawrence is entering year two with added weapons. Leonard's presence could make a difference both against the run and putting pressure on Lawrence, who is still prone to turning the ball over.

Leonard forced an incredible eight fumbles last season, recovering two of them. He also finished with four interceptions.