INDIANAPOLIS -- The struggles surrounding Indianapolis Colts linebacker Bjoern Werner started at the beginning of last season.

Starting in place of the suspended outside linebacker Robert Mathis, who ended up not playing because of a torn Achilles, Werner didn’t get his first sack until Week 5 when he had two sacks, six tackles and a pass defended against the Baltimore Ravens. Werner, who just completed his second season, followed that performance with sacks in each of the next two games.

You assumed Werner had settled into his pass-rusher role and everything would be fine the rest of the season.

With four sacks and 11 tackles for loss, Bjoern Werner outplayed most of the other ends and linebackers taken in the first round of his draft class. Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports

But then a lot of eyebrows were raised when he was inactive for the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots.

Coach Chuck Pagano was vague when talking about Werner being inactive the day after the Colts were beaten 45-7. The coach said they needed an extra cornerback because starters Vontae Davis and Greg Toler didn’t practice in the days leading up to the game.

But the Colts needed as many pass-rushers as possible to pressure Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. They also knew they would have their hands full with New England’s running game and Werner started all 15 games he played in during the regular season.

“You’re sitting in your chair and sitting in your seat, and you’re the writer,” Pagano said when pressed on the issue. “You can read into it however you want to read and write however you want to write.”

General manager Ryan Grigson finally shed some light on what was really going on with Werner four days later when he said his linebacker had been “working through some things, some dings and he had slowed down.”

It turns out Werner had been dealing with knee and shoulder injuries.

But despite the injuries, Werner finished the season with 50 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks and seven quarterback hurries while playing 71.2 percent of the snaps.

There were five other defensive ends or linebackers taken in the first round of the 2013 draft. It turns out Werner had one of the best seasons of that group.

No. 3 Dion Jordan, Miami: 20 tackles, 1.0 sack while playing 20 percent of the snaps. He also served two suspensions

No. 5 Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit: 49 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles while playing 63.4 percent of the snaps

No. 6 Barkevious Mingo, Cleveland: 42 tackles, 2.0 sacks and one fumble recovery while playing 57.3 percent of the snaps

No. 17 Jarvis Jones, Pittsburgh: 18 tackles, 2.0 sacks while playing 23.3 percent of the snaps. He suffered a broken wrist in Week 3. He returned for the final six games of the season.

No. 26 Datone Jones, Green Bay: 22 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception while playing 28 percent of the snaps

Only Ansah had a better 2014 season than Werner.

Werner was put in the position of having to replace Mathis, their best defensive player who had 19.5 sacks in the 2013 season.

With Mathis returning and Jonathan Newsome emerging as a legitimate pass-rusher to lead the Colts with 6.5 sacks as a rookie last season, it wouldn’t be surprising if Werner moves to the other side and backs up linebacker Erik Walden in 2015.