The challenge before the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 was already a considerable one, with the Indianapolis Colts scheduled to visit Arrowhead Stadium. Things could look even more daunting for Kansas City, knowing that the Colts could see cornerback Charvarius Ward back in the fold for the game.
The Colts switched Ward's official designation on Wednesday, setting him to return from injured reserve, which opens a 21-day window within which he can come back to practice. The team has three weeks to then evaluate Ward's health and activate him onto the 53-man roster or shelve him for the rest of the season.
The Colts have kept winning without Ward for more than a month, ever since the veteran cornerback suffered a concussion in a pre-game collision with tight end Drew Ogletree before Week 6. Not only did Ward miss Week 6, but his stint on IR forced him out of four more games after that. The team's scheduled bye in Week 11 gave him another seven days to recover.
The Colts could look even more formidable for the Chiefs in Week 12 with the chance of Charvarius Ward's return.
Ward is not set to officially return in Week 12 just yet. Nothing is official for now, and the Colts will likely want to see how he looks in his first practice back from injured reserve. That said, the Chiefs' game is a big one for both sides. For the Colts, it's a chance to come out of a week off with a statement win that shows they're ready to play with the contenders after surprising everyone for the first 10 weeks of the year.
For Ward, it's also a homecoming—if he's able to play. The Chiefs were the team that gave Ward his first shot in the NFL. While he was technically signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent out of Middle Tennessee State in 2018, K.C. dealt offensive lineman Parker Ehinger for him in a preseason deal and gave him a chance to blossom into a multi-year starter.
Ward has played in 106 games in his NFL career, which includes four seasons in Kansas City and another three in San Francisco. The 49ers made Ward a rich man after luring him away from the Chiefs in free agency in 2022.
The Colts signed Ward to upgrade the secondary in free agency, and now he'll have a chance to team with Sauce Gardner, the superstar corner who was acquired before the NFL's trade deadline earlier this month. Together, the Colts should look better than ever on the back end of the defense, and with a well-rested team ready to keep the momentum up, the Chiefs are going to face one of the single greatest hurdles on the schedule.