Cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. missed the Colts' Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos with a concussion he said felt more like a migraine headache than anything else.
The second concussion he sustained in 2025 was different.
Ward sustained a concussion when he and tight end Drew Ogletree collided during pregame warmups less than 90 minutes before the Colts kicked off against the Arizona Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 6. The collision knocked Ward out – he had to leave the field on a wheelchair – and left him with symptoms Ward on Friday described as "scary."
"I was throwing up, getting dizzy. I was getting dizzy for like a month," Ward said. "That wasn't normal. So that was like a real deal traumatic injury for me, lot of emotions and everything like that. So it was pretty tough, but I'm feeling good now."
Ward cleared concussion protocol this week, clearing the path for him to play for the first time in over a month on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. There were moments over the last few weeks, though, when the 29-year-old Ward wasn't sure if he'd ever make it back.
"I was kind of doubting if I was gonna play football again because it was like that scary," Ward said. "It was that scary, you know what I mean, because I was thinking about my life outside of football too."
The dizziness Ward was experiencing faded over the bye week, and once it did, Ward knew he'd be able to get back on the field.
"I feel like me again," Ward said. "I feel like Mooney."
"Mooney" Ward – who has 73 passes defensed since his NFL debut in 2018 – will return to a Colts secondary that added two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in a massive trade two and a half weeks ago. Between Ward and Gardner, the Colts have two top cornerbacks on the outside (not to mention Kenny Moore II in the slot), the type of players opposing offenses often try to avoid – but can't anymore.
"We've both been in number one corners on our team, so teams kind of like throw the ball away from us," Ward said. "So now it's like (no one) can duck smoke, you know what I'm saying? The other the other team, they got to throw it at one of us. So it's gonna more opportunities for me to make plays, for him to make plays. We're gonna out there try to both be All-Pro corners like we've been in the past and do our thing and help this defense be one of the best defenses in the league."
