Colts general manager Chris Ballard moved to clear up the noise around Alec Pierce’s rehab, saying the wide receiver did not receive a second PRP injection for the ankle injury he’s working through.
The expectation remains the same: Pierce is still on track to be ready for the Colts’ regular season opener at home against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, September 13th.
Ballard did add one important detail, noting that Pierce’s injury involved both his ankle and his heel. That’s a little more specific than the original chatter around the issue and helps explain why the recovery has drawn extra attention.
Pierce was on the field at the Colts’ joint training camp practice against the Patriots, working individually with a trainer. Later, he also spent time signing autographs for fans in attendance.
There’s not much camp runway left, either. The Colts have just four training camp practices remaining this offseason, so it will be worth watching whether Pierce can get back before camp wraps up. Time has moved fast, and the calendar is suddenly working against him.
The idea of a second PRP injection raised some concern from a pain-management standpoint, but the bigger picture hasn’t changed. Every rehab path is different, and even if that had happened, it wouldn’t have meant the situation had gone off the rails.
Still, the Colts would love to have their top wideout back on the field sooner rather than later. Without Pierce, the outside receiver group of Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and rookie Deion Burks doesn’t carry nearly the same punch, and the offense looks far less dangerous without its clear WR1 in the lineup.
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For Indianapolis, the timing matters because these are exactly the kind of August sessions that can expose how a defense is holding up before the games start counting. Mike Vrabel had already set expectations low for Davis being available for the joint practices or the preseason opener, so the Colts will be facing a Patriots secondary that may still be sorting itself out without one of its more established pieces fully in the mix. Even if Davis is trending the right way, the immediate question is how much of him the Patriots can actually use this week. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Boettcher Is Making Colts Veterans Earn Every Snap
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For a player who was not viewed as the top linebacker in the class, that kind of early traction matters in a big way. It also hints at a fascinating fit issue for Indianapolis, since the path to snaps may depend less on where Boettcher was projected to land and more on where the Colts can actually use him best. In a camp built around competition, he has already forced the team to keep adjusting the picture. [Read more 🡒]