The Indianapolis Colts’ two biggest moves this offseason locked up players who were already on the roster. First, Alec Pierce was given a 4-year, $114 million contract, followed two days later by Daniel Jones receiving a two-year, $88 million deal.
Now, following Wednesday’s Alec Pierce injury reveal, it’s unclear if either of those players will be healthy enough to play in the team’s September 13 opener.
Alec Pierce Injury Reveal Makes Colts 2026 Outlook Even Murkier
Colts fans already knew Jones — who tore his Achilles in December and had surgery days later — would have a tight window to be ready in time. Typically, recovery from such a surgery takes around nine months, which is exactly the length of time between his surgery and the team’s regular-season debut.
Despite that, the news around Jones this offseason has been nothing but optimistic. The quarterback has been far ahead of schedule, throwing during OTAs and mandatory minicamp and saying that he “absolutely” would be ready to face the Ravens come Week 1.
Alec Pierce’s Injury Reveal
What Pierce divulged on Wednesday was less encouraging.
The wide receiver said he still faces many weeks of recovery from the ankle surgery he had in March. It could keep him sidelined well into training camp.
Pierce said a “Band-Aid type of solution” was originally attempted with a platelet-rich plasma treatment he had in January. Doctors told him to allow six to eight weeks for the approach to take effect.
However, “it didn’t fix the problem,” he said at Wednesday’s minicamp, via ESPN.
So Pierce had ankle surgery in March after playing in pain for much of the second half of last season. In fact, Pierce revealed he had been dealing with the injury since 2024, experiencing flare-ups toward the end of the last two seasons.
“It definitely got worse as the season went on, and probably the last month, I was kind of struggling to practice,’’ Pierce said. “I had to take some days off. I’m glad they kind of figured out what the issue was.’’
Even so, the timing wasn’t good. Pierce had surgery in the weeks following signing his contract, and he attributed the timing to the platelet treatment. General manager Chris Ballard described the surgery as a “clean-up procedure” with a four-to-six-month rehab process.
“We first went with the PRP shot, and that was an eight-week process,’’ Pierce said. “Even then, a month in, I was saying, ‘I don’t feel great. I don’t think this is working.’ But you still have to wait because this is a thing that takes time to heal.”
Pierce’s Training Camp Outlook
It appears likely Pierce will open training camp on the physically unable to perform list. That means by the time he’s cleared to practice, he will face a tight window to be ready for the opener.
“Kind of somewhere in there, I should be back right before the season or ready to go sometime during camp, whether that’s the beginning or the end,’’ Pierce said.
“I think obviously we want the [return] to be as early as possible,” he added. “But you’ve kind of got to let your body guide yourself and see how you feel. Because what I’m learning with the rehab is that the more you overdo it, the more sore you get. It kind of can sometimes be counterproductive.”
Colts’ Week 1 Possibilities
As if potentially having both of their big offseason signings miss Week 1 isn’t enough, things are compounded by the fact that the Colts traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers this offseason. A year after enjoying an 8-2 start to the season, the Colts could be looking at their 2026 campaign beginning without three major pieces who made 8-2 happen.
Is it possible we’ll see Riley Leonard, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Josh Downs trying to fill those shoes against the Ravens? It is. It’s also possible that both Jones and Pierce will play — though, if they do, they probably won’t be at 100 percent.
Even if Jones and Pierce are out, Colts fans looking for a glass-is-half-full scenario can consider the schedule. Indianapolis faces the Ravens, Chiefs, and Texans in its first three games and likely won’t be favored in any of them. The Colts might go 0-3 out of the gate even with a healthy Jones and Pierce, so having them miss a few games they could lose anyway wouldn’t be the worst scenario in the world.
Much more important is to see both of them return at close to full strength so the Colts can make a run when the schedule eases up. Whether that’s actually in the picture is anyone’s guess. With Pierce’s latest reveal, that picture is even murkier.
