The Indianapolis Colts host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday in a crucial game, and as their playoff push heats up, the Colts defense is adding some more players.

On Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, starting linebacker E.J. Speed (knee) and cornerback JuJu Brents (quad) are expected to make their way back to the field. Unfortunately, right tackle Braden Smith (knee) and starting running back Jonathan Taylor (thumb) will be out for the Colts.

With a quad injury, the rookie Brents have missed the previous six games (seven weeks). However, he returned to practice last week and has since progressed, opening up this week as a full participant.

In a game last week that saw the Bengals dominate in a few areas where Speed typically excels, like the run and screen games, Speed was not present for the Bengals’ loss.

Smith did not play in last Sunday’s game either; Blake Freeland, a rookie who has started seven games so far this season, took Smith’s place in the starting lineup.

Following his surgery-needed thumb injury in Week 12, Taylor missed his second straight game on Sunday. “That’s the plan, yeah,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said, expressing optimism that Taylor will return this season.

Taylor has been replaced in the lineup by Zack Moss, but so far this season, he hasn’t been able to replicate the kind of success he enjoyed when teams weren’t as focused on him.

The starting edges Watt and Highsmith (20.0 combined sacks in 2023), who both passed the concussion protocol and are expected to play on Saturday, are among the most injured players on the Steelers roster. Only two players, though, bring designations into the game.

Starting quarterback Pickett and left guard Seumalo did not play on the offensive end of the ball during the entire week. With Seumalo still having a chance to play, Pickett, who was already ruled out earlier in the week, will be replaced by Mitchell Trubisky in the starting lineup.