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Raekwon Davis injury update: Colts activate defensive lineman

The Colts will gain much-needed depth on their defensive line on the practice field.

Indianapolis has activated defensive tackle Raekwon Davis from the active/non-football injured list, allowing him to return to practice during the joint practice session with the Bengals on Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Davis has been battling high blood pressure since the first day of training camp. He has yet to change into his new team's practice, but that will soon change.

The Colts made this move in addition to several others. They signed center Mike Panasiuk and linebacker Mike Smith Jr. They released injured guard Josh Sills and placed center Ryan Coll on the injured list.

Raekwon Davis contract

Davis, 26, came from the Dolphins this spring as one of only two free agents signed from outside the team. The other was backup quarterback Joe Flacco. The Alabama product, who has been playing professionally for five years, signed a two-year, $14 million deal to serve as the backup nose tackle for Grover Stewart, whose contract the Colts also extended this offseason.

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Davis was a mostly starter in Miami, starting 48 times in 63 games, but in Indianapolis he will provide much-needed depth at the nose tackle position as the Colts have no other proven option behind Stewart. When Stewart missed six games last season due to a suspension for taking performance-enhancing drugs, Indianapolis' normally strong run defense collapsed.

Davis also gives the Colts the opportunity to play alongside Stewart on obvious run downs by taking some snaps away from DeForest Buckner, who also signed a contract extension this spring but is now 30 years old.

It remains to be seen how much time Davis will need to get going. At 6'1″ and 315 pounds, he is the biggest player on the squad and hasn't been able to do much conditioning work due to his high blood pressure. He hasn't been seen training during his absence.

Panasiuk comes to the Colts on a unique path after shining as an All-Big Ten Conference defensive tackle at Michigan State and during brief stints with the Raiders and Panthers before moving to center for the United Football League's St. Louis Battlehawks. He was an All-UFL center last season.

Smith is an undrafted rookie out of Baylor, where he played in just five games last season. Before that, he was a minor-level star at Liberty and Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Raekwon Davis Statistics

Davis started 48 of his 63 games with the Dolphins. He made 129 tackles with 2.0 sacks and 10 quarterback hits.

Raekwon Davis Height, Weight

Davis is 6'6″ tall and weighs 325 pounds. He was the heaviest defensive player at least 6'6″ tall in the NFL last season.

Raekwon Davis injured

The Colts announced on July 25 that Raekwon Davis was on the non-football list due to high blood pressure. On Thursday, Colts coach Shane Steichen was asked if Davis would miss the regular season: “I hope not. He's making good progress, so hopefully he'll be back sooner rather than later.”

Contact Nate Atkins at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

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