The Colts will be without a key special teams contributor on Sunday night, as Colts head coach Shane Steichen ruled out Ashton Dulin for the Week 2 road game against the Kansas City Chiefs because of an ankle injury.
Steichen said Dulin is week-to-week, a cautious update that leaves his availability for the near future unclear. For Indianapolis, the immediate concern is simpler: Dulin will not be on the field for a primetime matchup that already carries plenty of attention.
What Dulin’s absence means
Dulin may not be one of the biggest names on the roster, but he is an important part of the Colts’ special teams unit. In games like this, those roles matter. Road matchups against a team like Kansas City often come down to field position, hidden yardage and avoiding mistakes, so losing a core special teams player is a notable setback.
It also adds another layer to a week in which the Colts have been sorting through injury updates at several spots. The good news is that not every issue lingered into Friday.
Other Colts injury updates on Friday
Anthony Richardson Sr. was able to practice on Friday after missing time earlier in the week with a groin injury. Steichen said he was "good now," and that the team had been monitoring him and trying to be smart with him given the long season ahead.
Alec Pierce also moved in the right direction. After offseason ankle and heel surgery delayed his practice and team reps, he practiced with the team for the first time since the end of last season on Wednesday. He then missed practice on Thursday before Steichen said Friday that he was ready to go. Pierce played 32 of 54 snaps in the Colts’ Week 1 loss to the Ravens, so the Colts are still easing him back up to full speed.
There was also movement elsewhere on the injury report. DJ Giddens returned to practice on Friday, and Austin Ajiake registered a full practice on Thursday.
Looking ahead to Sunday night
Indianapolis opens the week trying to stay steady after a season-opener loss and a few early injury bumps. Richardson appears set, Pierce is trending in the right direction, and the Colts sound comfortable with where they are managing those situations.
Dulin is the one clear absence for Week 2, and for a team headed into a difficult road test against the Chiefs, that is enough to matter.
