INDIANAPOLIS – The injury-plagued Indianapolis Colts are wondering if Julian Blackmon will be added to the list.
The second-year safety was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice after suffering an Achilles injury. The team is awaiting results of medical evaluations to determine the exact nature and severity of the injury, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Losing Blackmon for any length of time would be another blow to the Colts and the defense.
In Sunday’s win over Houston, wideout Parris Campbell suffered a foot injury and was placed on the injured reserve list Tuesday. His season might be over.
Also, wideout T.Y. Hilton, who had missed the first five games following neck surgery, left the game in the fourth quarter with a quadriceps injury. His status for Sunday’s road test against the San Francisco 49ers is uncertain.
The team’s 2-4 season has been impacted by a flurry of injuries: quarterback Carson Wentz (ankle), All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson (ankle), right tackle Braden Smith (foot), rookie defensive end Kwity Paye (hamstring), placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship (hip), cornerbacks Rock Ya-Sin (ankle), T.J. Carrie (knee) and Xavier Rhodes (calf), safety Khari Willis (ankle/groin) and defensive end Kemoko Turay (groin).
Players who did not practice Wednesday: Hilton, linebacker Darius Leonard (ankle), defensive end Tyquan Lewis (elbow), Paye, Turay, Smith, Ya-Sin and running back Jordan Wilkins (non-football illness).
Blackmon has 31 tackles, including two for a loss, along with one passes defensed and one forced fumble in six starts this season.
“He’s done a really good job,’’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said earlier this week, adding position coach “Alan Williams and him have worked very hard. They work in conjunction with Khari and the rest of the safeties.”
“I think (in your) second year you’re always a little bit better because everything slows down for him a little bit in terms of the game. He’s got great vision of the long range of the field. He can cover a lot of space and the thing that we’re so impressed with him this year is his physicality.’’
The Colts selected Blackmon in the third round of the 2020 draft despite him suffering a torn ACL in Utah’s Pac-12 championship game in December 2019.
He made a quick return and appeared in 15 games as a rookie with 14 starts. Blackmon finished with 42 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
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