Report: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor will indeed be out 3 to 5 weeks with required thumb surgery that placed internal brace

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor’s surgery details on his injured thumb were revealed by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor will indeed be out three to five weeks, after recently undergoing required surgery on his injured thumb by Los Angeles surgeon Dr. Steven Shin—which placed an internal brace on the ligament:

Specifically, Rapoport writes:

“On Wednesday, hand specialist Dr. Steven Shin of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles operated on Taylor, repairing the torn UCL in his thumb. Despite playing the second half of last week’s win over the Bucs with the injury, surgery was the only answer and not a choice, sources say.”

“Here’s why: The ligament tore off the base of the thumb and flipped on top of the tendon, sources say. Once that happens, the only way to avoid a loose tendon in the future is to have surgery to tuck the ligament back under the tendon so it can function. Immediate surgery was a necessity.”

“Shin used an internal brace on the ligament, sources say, the same as he did to Drew Brees for a similar injury in 2019. Thanks to the internal brace, what would be a recovery taking many months will be shorter.”

“Sources say Taylor’s recovery time is three to five weeks. Indy left the door open for him to return before four weeks by not placing him on injured reserve, and Taylor was already back with the team the day after surgery.”

Taylor’s situation this year is a lot different than last season, when he played through a lingering ankle injury—and one in which ultimately required offseason surgery (and later required a stint on regular season PUP).

Not just the severity and physical anatomy of the injury, but the fact that unlike during 2022, the Colts are actually in playoff contention, currently holding an AFC wild card spot. Right now, the franchise has a lot to play for with serious postseason aspirations.

However, certainly helping matters in Taylor’s short-term absence, is that the Colts appear to be in relatively strong hands with interim starter Zack Moss. A luxury that Indianapolis did not have last season as Moss was new to the team and appears to be a more natural and comfortable fit within first-year head coach Shane Steichen’s offense.