Willie Colon
Steelers right tackle Willie Colon might have suffered a potentially serious injury this morning doing something very routine.
According to Adam Caplan of Scout.com, Colon injured the Achilles tendon in his right foot during a workout and will have an MRI taken to figure out how bad it is and how much time, if any, he’s expected to miss.
It doesn’t look good, however, as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is reporting Colon left the Steelers facility on crutches and some in the organization fear he tore the tendon. If so, he’ll have surgery and will miss the entire 2010 season.
The team’s Director of Football Operations, Kevin Colbert, issued this statement on the Steelers official website:
“It is confirmed that offensive tackle Willie Colon has suffered an Achilles injury while working out today. He is still undergoing further evaluations by Steelers’ medical personnel and we will not have anything more to release at this time.”
Colon started every game at right tackle since 2007 and became one of the best run blockers in the NFL. Should he be lost for the season, Pittsburgh might turn to free-agent options such as Flozell Adams to fill the void.
UPDATE: Well, the worst case scenario has come true: Colon tore his Achilles tendon and will have season-ending surgery on Wednesday. Huge blow to the Steelers offensive line and an offense that will already be without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the first four-to-six games. Guard Trai Essex will likely shift to right tackle, and a free-agent insurance signing shouldn’t be ruled out.
