Colts RB Salvon Ahmed Hospitalized with Leg Injury After Hip-Drop Tackle in Practice

Indianapolis Colts running back Salvon Ahmed had to be taken to the hospital with a leg injury suffered during Sunday's practice.

ESPN's Stephen Holder described the injury as "severe" and it occurred when Trey Washington took Ahmed down with a hip-drop tackle.

Holder added Ahmed was placed on a stretcher by paramedics and carted off the field. He was transported to a local hospital for X-rays. The entire Colts team gathered around to take a knee as the 26-year-old was being put on the stretcher.

Head coach Shane Steichen told reporters after practice wrapped that the team's "thoughts and prayers were with Salvon" for a "speedy recovery," but he didn't have an official injury diagnosis at that point.

NFL owners voted to ban the hip-drop tackle during games in March 2024. The play is defined as when a defender "wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier's legs during the tackle."

The ban came after NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said in October 2023 that league studies showed hip-drop tackles increased the rate of injuries by 25 percent compared to a regular tackle.

An undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2020, Ahmed was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He joined the Miami Dolphins prior to the start of his rookie season and appeared in 38 games over four seasons from 2020 to 2023.

Ahmed was briefly on the practice squad for the Denver Broncos during the 2024 campaign. He joined the Colts practice squad in October 2024 and signed a reserve/future contract in January.