The last time DeForest Buckner missed a game due to an injury was the fifth game of his rookie year.
Which was 2016.
That'll change, unfortunately, this weekend. The Colts on Tuesday placed Buckner on injured reserve following a sprained ankle sustained last weekend against the Green Bay Packers, meaning the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle will be sidelined for at least the next four games.
"Obviously a huge blow," head coach Shane Steichen said. "Phenomenal teammate, phenomenal player for our football team, phenomenal player for the NFL."
The earliest Buckner could return is the Colts' Week 7 home game against the Miami Dolphins, but Steichen wouldn't put a timetable on his return.
"That guy is so freaking tough," Steichen said, "but I know he'll attack his rehab and be ready to roll when he comes back."
That Buckner even was able to play in Week 2 was an achievement in its own right – one that points to not only how tough Buckner is, but how intentional the 30-year-old is with preparing himself to play under even the most challenging circumstances. Buckner sustained a back injury toward the end of the Colts' Week 1 loss to the Houston Texans and did not participate in practice leading up to Sunday's game against the Packers.
"From where Buck was on Sunday night after Houston to where he was on Monday, to the fact that he was even able to dress and play on Sunday at Lambeau is a testament to his dog mentality and how committed he is not only to this team, but to his standard — his own personal standard," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "Knowing who he is, how much it means to be out there every single play, I told him it broke my heart when the IR came off across social media last night. I didn't even text him because I just knew what he was going through. So I know it's killing him, but I told him I got his back and I'm gonna hold it down until he gets back."
Buckner, over his career, has fought through injuries to still make it on the field on Sundays. He played the majority of the 2022 season with a significant elbow injury, never missing a game – even as the Colts sunk to a 4-12-1 record – while totaling eight sacks and 22 quarterback hits. The only game he hasn't played in since joining the Colts came in 2020 due to the league's COVID protocols.
"You don't play this long without going through a lot of injuries and adversity and pushing through them," center Ryan Kelly said. "One of the biggest things you can be in the NFL is available and consistent and he's done that his whole career. So if you see him on IR, that means he's hurt.
"But I know what a great leader and great man he is. ... It's pretty freaking impressive, man. It's a true iron man mentality. I think that's certainly why he's been as consistent as he's been here for so long."
Grover Stewart, Buckner's interior defensive line partner for the last five seasons, succinctly summed up his respect for how Buckner has battled through injuries in the past: "That lets you know he's a warrior, man," Stewart said.
Without Buckner, the Colts will rely on the next men up in their defense – Adetomiwa Adebawore, Taven Bryan and Raekwon Davis among them – to fill in as best they can. But Buckner will continue to have a presence for the Colts' defense, even as he now has to work his way back from an injury significant enough to land him on injured reserve.
"DeFo, he's that type of guy that's going to stick around, make sure that the guys filling in are comfortable and aware of what they got going on," Franklin said. "He'll do his best to help support in any way he can."
