Greg Toler returns, Colts defense gets needed boost

• Colts at Texans, 8:25 p.m. Thursday, CBS, NFL

The Indianapolis Colts expect to have starting cornerback Greg Toler back from a neck injury when they face the Houston Texans on Thursday night (8:25 p.m.; CBS, NFL), and the implications for the Indianapolis defense will be far-reaching.

Toler has been out since late August with a bruised disc, and he and team officials agreed to proceed slowly in returning him to the field because of the delicate nature of the injury.

"This is the scariest injury I've ever been through," Toler said. "I've been through quite a few, unfortunately, but this one, it wasn't a soft-tissue injury. You can get all the massages and all chiropractors, (the remedy) was just time."

Toler had been practicing in a noncontact capacity for a couple of weeks but now has gained clearance to resume all football activities. Thursday will mark his 2015 regular-season debut.

The Colts hope that means they finally can regain some normalcy in their secondary. They've been running on fumes at cornerback, overloading No. 1 corner Vontae Davis with heavy responsibilities and resisting the urge to use more blitzes because of the need to drop more defenders into coverage.

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If Toler returns to form, the Colts should gain some needed flexibility.

For starters, nickel back Darius Butler can go back to playing in the slot, where he is admittedly more comfortable. Toler will replace him on the perimeter, where Butler struggled. The Colts lost Butler himself to a hip injury for two games during Toler's absence, leaving them to mix and match opposite Davis with a series of journeymen corners.

As a result, the Colts have played more zone defense, dropping linebackers into coverage more frequently and impacting their ability to use them as pass rushers. That means the pass rush has fallen mostly on the Colts' linemen, who haven't had much success.

"Good coaches know you have to evolve (based on) your personnel," Butler said of defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. "If you're hurt in certain positions, you have to change certain things. He's done a great job mixing it up."

The Colts also have had Davis follow No. 1 receivers more than ever, and that has put great strain on their Pro Bowl corner. As a result, Davis has given up more completions of late and has yielded two touchdown receptions after having not given up any during the 2014 season.

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"When you're on the best (receiver) near every passing play, your percentages are going to change," Butler said. "And being on different sides of the field, you have to get used to different movements. (Davis has historically played exclusively right corner.) But I don't think it shakes his confidence at all. He had a penalty in the game against New York where he got called on a play against Brandon Marshall. Well, on the next play, he made a pick.

"To ask somebody to do that, there's only a handful of guys who can."

Perhaps there will be less urgency to call on Davis to do that as much now that Toler is back.

Finally.

"It's been six weeks," said Toler, who was injured Aug. 22. "Patience. Trying to help the guys as much as possible while I wasn't on the field. In the meeting room I was being a little more vocal, just telling them what I see. But now, I'm able to be out there with them, so I'm happy."

Call Star reporter Stephen Holder at (317) 444-6520. Follow him on Twitter:@HolderStephen.