Illegal tackle causes Colts RB to suffer ‘severe leg injury’

The Indianapolis Colts had a scary moment on Sunday when a running back went down during an 11-on-11 team period.

Per James Boyd of The Athletic, practice had to be stopped for 10 minutes while trainers attended to running back Salvon Ahmed, who suffered a “severe leg injury” after he was brought down via an illegal tackle by safety Trey Washington.

“The injury occurred when Ahmed broke a long run during an 11-on-11 period,” Boyd wrote. “He was tackled from behind by undrafted rookie safety Trey Washington, but when Washington grabbed Ahmed, who kept his legs churning, Washington used a hip-drop tackle to bring Ahmed down and landed on his lower right leg. Ahmed immediately grabbed his lower right leg and screamed in agony.

“Steichen said the players in the developmental periods (essentially third-stringers and players lower than them on the depth chart) were instructed to tackle during 11-on-11. However, Steichen emphasized, Washington’s hip-drop tackle was obviously the wrong way to bring Ahmed down.”

Steichen said the coaching staff doesn’t encourage hip-drop tackles, and claimed Washington is “down in the dumps” after his tackle led to Ahmed’s injury.

The unfortunate incident highlights how difficult it can be for NFL defenders to make a tackle. The league made the hip-drop tackle illegal to try and curb injuries, as offensive players thought it was a dirty hit.

In Washington’s case, the undrafted rookie free agent from Ole Miss wasn’t trying to make a dirty hit but trying to make a football move in a competitive environment to keep his job.

Before the injury, Ahmed was trying to make a case for the practice squad, where he spent time on during 2024.