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Colts rule DE Arden Key out, list five inactives for Week 5 at Steelers

The Indianapolis Colts announced on 2026-10-11 that defensive end Arden Key was ruled out with a hamstring, placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next four games. The team also named five inactives for its Week 5 game at Acrisure Stadium.

News BriefBy BusinessIndy News DeskCommentsPublished October 11, 2026 at 11:47 AM EDT

AI-generated illustration of the topic: Colts rule DE Arden Key out, list five inactives for Week 5 at Steelers — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

The Colts announced on 2026-10-11 that DE Arden Key was ruled out Friday with a hamstring injury, placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss at least the team’s next four games. For the Week 5 game at Acrisure Stadium, the Colts listed five inactives: G Dalton Tucker; LB Jaylon Carlies (ribs); QB Riley Leonard (third quarterback); WR Ashton Dulin (hamstring); and WR Darius Slayton (knee). The team said Slayton was downgraded from questionable to out.

The Colts also elevated WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine from the practice squad on Saturday. The team said it opened tight end Will Mallory’s 21-day window on 2026-10-07; Mallory (thumb) was a full practice participant that week but was not activated prior to Sunday’s game. The club placed Key on injured reserve, made rookie DE George Gumbs Jr. active for the first time this season, and — with Jaylon Carlies out — said rookie Bryce Boettcher is expected to play “quite a bit” at the WILL linebacker spot.

WHY IT MATTERS

Arden Key’s placement on injured reserve and the team’s inactive list are immediate roster changes that affect the Colts’ defensive depth and game-day lineup. Key’s hamstring injury and the team’s statement that he will miss at least the next four games means the Colts must rely more on younger or backup defensive ends; the Colts’ action made rookie George Gumbs Jr. active for the first time this season, a direct example of that depth adjustment.

The opened 21-day window for tight end Will Mallory (started 2026-10-07, the team said) is a separate roster timeline to watch: the club can activate him during that window, and the team noted Mallory was practicing fully but was not activated before the Week 5 game. Similarly, elevating Nick Westbrook-Ikhine from the practice squad and the expected increased role for rookie Bryce Boettcher at WILL linebacker are short-term answers to multiple absences on the depth chart.

What to watch next: whether the Colts activate Will Mallory during his 21-day window and how much playing time rookies George Gumbs Jr. and Bryce Boettcher receive as the team covers Key’s absence.

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Indianapolis Colts: Colts announce 5 inactive players for Week 5 game at Pittsburgh Steelers ↗

Linked source published October 11, 2026 at 11:32 AM EDT. A sourced news brief; no independent staff reporting is implied. Prepared with AI assistance from the linked research; material claims remain attributed in the article.

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