RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesWESTFIELD – Veteran All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner is still coming to terms with spending the bulk of the Colts’ 11-on-11 reps on the sidelines but the 32-year-old said he’s just happy to be back breaking a sweat with his teammates and working toward a far more important goal of making an in-game return in Week 1.
After suffering a pinched nerve and herniated disc in his neck during the Colts ’ Week 9 game in Pittsburgh last season, Buckner missed seven of the final eight games and had surgery to repair his neck on New Year's Eve. There were days early in his rehab process where Buckner couldn’t lift more than 10 pounds – a tough realization for the father of three, including a 1-year-old daughter.
Last week, Buckner told reporters he’d been cleared to return to on-field action just in time for the start of camp, but the Colts made clear their team captain would be ramped up gradually. The starting defensive tackle saw his first 11-on-11 reps during Friday’s practice and participated in individual drills during the team’s first day in pads Monday but was only a spectator during full team action.
He said Monday he hopes to resume his work with the full defense Tuesday.
“It’s coming along good. The neck is doing really well. Obviously, a little muscle soreness here and there as expected with the first time getting back out there, but all in all, everything’s great,” Buckner said. “Just gradually increasing my reps throughout training camp.”
Buckner called his limited role in the early days of training camp “weird.”
“But just being able to be at this spot, coming into camp cleared, that was a big goal for me, and I’m just trusting the process on everything,” he said. “But it is a little weird coming in (to start camp) and not really doing too much.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts DT DeForest Buckner calls recovery from next injury 'weird'
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