Colts first-round pick Kwity Paye left practice with an ankle injury earlier this week, but it doesn’t look like the edge rusher suffered a serious injury.
Paye did not take part in the team’s joint practice with the Panthers on Thursday and it seems unlikely that he’ll be playing in their preseason opener this weekend, but head coach Frank Reich’s update on Paye’s condition did not suggest an extended absence.
“We’re optimistic about it, we really don’t think it’s going to be bad,” Reich said, via Kevin Hickey of USAToday.com. “I don’t think it’s a long term thing, it was pretty mild, but we want to be safe.”
Any snaps Paye misses will slow his transition to the NFL, but he’d miss a lot more time by aggravating the injury with a premature return and the long view supports keeping him sidelined until he’s all the way back to 100 percent.