In his first game back from four-plus seasons in retirement, Colts quarterback Philip Rivers won’t have a totally healthy offensive line on Sunday in Seattle. The Colts have placed starting right tackle Braden Smith on injured reserve, per a team announcement.
At 8-5 and fighting for its playoff life, Indianapolis will go the remaining of the regular season without Smith. The 29-year-old suffered a concussion and a neck injury in a loss to Jacksonville last Sunday.
Together with the Seahawks, Smith will miss games against three other playoff hopefuls within the 49ers, Jaguars, and Texans in the following 4 weeks. He’ll be eligible to return if the Colts make the playoffs, but they’re on the surface looking in for the time being.
With the four-year, $72MM extension Smith signed in 2021 set to run out after the season, it’s possible he has played his last game with the Colts. The 6-foot-6, 312-pounder has spent his entire profession with the franchise because it selected him thirty seventh overall out of Auburn in 2018. Smith has began in 105 of 107 regular-season games, including all 13 in 2025. Pro Football Focus ranks Smith’s performance forty fifth amongst 81 qualifying tackles this yr.
Seeking to protect the immobile Rivers as he returns at age 44, the Colts will count on rookie Jalen Travis to fill in for Smith. Travis, a fourth-rounder from Iowa State, has taken just 73 offensive snaps in his first 13 games. In his starting debut, Travis will face a Seattle defense that ranks fourth within the league in sacks.
Along with the Rivers and Smith transactions, the Colts elevated defensive tackle Chris Wormley and wide receiver Coleman Owen from the practice squad. It’s the third standard gameday elevation for Wormley, who has picked up five tackles and a sack in two games. If the Colts need to use Wormley again after Week 15, they’ll need to sign him to their lively roster. Owen, an undrafted rookie from Ohio, is in line for his NFL debut.