According to their head coach Shane Steichen on Wednesday, the Indianapolis Colts will place injured wideout Alec Pierce on injured reserve shortly, meaning he’ll miss at least the team’s next four games:
Given that earlier reports suggested that the Colts were hopeful for a “midseason return,” his eventual activation
off of injured reserve could be realistically closer to Week 8 or 9, so at least six weeks or so. However, we’ll just have to see how his reoccurring injury heals and responds, having elected to not undergo surgery at this time.
Pierce’s loss is certainly immense, but not unexpected, after he was unable to put his body weight on his reinjured left ankle/heel after a non-contact injury, which the lingering injury already cost him all of training camp and the preseason. He subsequently had to be carted off the field with trainers and was later seen walking around the players concourse in crutches and a medical boot post-game.
The Colts returning lead wideout from last season had only 5 receptions for 72 total receiving yards through two games, as he worked himself back from a conditioning and training standpoint from the prior ankle/heel injury.
Regarding Pierce, given that he only had his first full practice with the Colts five days prior to last Sunday night’s game, and it’s a fair question of whether he should’ve just begun the season on PUP instead and missed the team’s first four games, two of which they’ve lost anyways with him active headed in. Hindsight is 20/20, but it now looks like he’s at greater risk of missing more games, had he just been placed on PUP to start.
With the AFC South rival Houston Texans coming to town—and looking to avoid an 0-3 start, the Colts will assuredly miss their elite deep threat and one of their offense’s top receiving playmakers collectively. That being said, Indianapolis did recently sign former New York Giants veteran wideout Darius Slayton, who already has familiarity with starting quarterback Daniel Jones, as an interim downfield threat replacement to help fill Pierce’s void for the next handful or more of missed weeks.
Otherwise, on Tuesday, the Colts placed backup defensive end Michael Clemons (toe) on injured reserve, who didn’t record a defensive stat through his first two games with the club. Indianapolis also released running back Anderson Castle from their practice squad and re-signed wideout Eli Pancol to their taxi-man team—presumably as additional Pierce insurance at wideout, should they need it.
