The Colts are now at the point where Alec Pierce’s ankle situation deserves more than the usual “he’s doing a great job in rehab” answer.
Pierce had ankle surgery in March after playing through the injury last season, and the expectation from the organization was that he would return at some point during training camp. Chris Ballard said earlier in the offseason that Pierce was on roughly a three-month recovery timeline, which put him on track to return around camp, while Shane Steichen later said the team
expected him back “at some point in training camp.” That timeline has now become much less clear.
Pierce opened camp on the active/PUP list, which by itself was not a massive concern because players can be activated at any point. The issue is what has happened since. Ballard reportedly said Pierce was “a week or two away” from returning near the start of camp, yet Steichen was asked this week whether there was a timetable and answered, “No, not right now.” He added that Pierce’s rehab is going well and that he is doing a “hell of a job,” which sounds nice but does not actually say much.
Nobody needs the Colts to hand out every medical detail, and nobody is asking them to rush Pierce back before he is ready. The problem is that this organization has lost the benefit of the doubt when injury updates start getting vague. Andrew Luck is the obvious example, but Shaq Leonard is the cleaner recent one. His back issue was talked about with optimism, then came the PUP list, the unclear timetable, the brief return, another procedure and eventually a lost season. That does not mean Pierce’s ankle is headed anywhere close to that territory, but it explains why Colts fans do not hear “he’s doing a great job in rehab” and automatically relax. When Ballard says Pierce is close and Steichen says shortly after that there is no timetable, people are going to wonder what is actually going on.
That does not mean Pierce is definitely in danger of missing Week 1. It also does not mean the team is hiding some catastrophic setback. However, the whole point is that the Colts have not given anyone enough clarity to feel confident either way. Pierce had surgery in March, the original messaging pointed toward a return during training camp, he opened camp on PUP, Ballard recently made it sound like he was getting close, and now Steichen is back to saying there is no timetable. That sequence is not reassuring! Maybe he returns next week and this all disappears, but until he is actually back on the field, the concern is completely reasonable.
With Michael Pittman Jr. gone, he is one of the key pieces in the passing game, and his vertical ability changes how defenses have to play Indianapolis. Daniel Jones is trying to rebuild timing in this offense, Josh Downs is taking on a bigger role, and Tyler Warren is entering his second season as a major weapon, so losing practice reps with Pierce is not nothing. The Colts need their passing game to be sharper this year, and that becomes harder when one of their main receivers is still rehabbing with no clear return date.
It is exhausting dealing with an organization that treats clarity like it is too much to ask.
