DeForest Buckner said he wrestled with whether to continue playing after doctors told him surgery was necessary to fix a herniated disc in his neck that was pressing against a nerve. “I found myself in some deep, dark thoughts about what am I going to do?” the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle said, describing reduced feeling and little strength on his left side.
Buckner tried rest and stem cell therapy at a clinic he had used in Panama before opting for surgery. He said the decision required “talking with the people closest to me, just talking through all those emotions.” Early in rehab he could not perform basic tasks: “I couldn’t even pick up my own kids for a little bit. I couldn’t pick up… anything heavier than 10 pounds. And that was for a while.”
The 32-year-old resumed running in April and described steady progress, but the recovery has been slow. Buckner did not come close to seeing the field during spring drills, and the Colts completed their offseason earlier this month without him. Whether he will be ready for the start of training camp in late July remains uncertain.
Colts coach Shane Steichen said the club will be cautious and monitor Buckner through training camp, adding that “the goal is to be ready for Week 1, and so I know he’s working that way and we’ll see where it goes.” The team has identified the Sept. 13 season opener against the Baltimore Ravens as the target for Buckner’s return, but the club has characterized that as a goal, not a certainty.
Buckner has been a cornerstone of the Colts’ defense since being traded to Indianapolis in 2020 and played in the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019. He returned for a single game in December last season while injured, suffered a setback that led to surgery and signed a contract extension in 2024. He is scheduled to earn $23 million this season, the final year of his deal. With several veteran defenders gone, the Colts’ defense will be younger when Buckner eventually rejoins the lineup.
