The Indianapolis Colts\u2019 two biggest moves this offseason locked up players who were already on the roster. First, Alec Pierce was given a four-year, $114 million contract, followed two days later by Daniel Jones receiving a two-year, $88 million deal.<\/p>\n
Now, following Wednesday’s Alec Pierce injury reveal, it\u2019s unclear if either of those players will be healthy enough to play in the team\u2019s September 13 opener.<\/p>\n
Colts fans already knew Jones \u2014 who tore his Achilles in December<\/a> and had surgery days later \u2014 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\u2019s regular-season debut.<\/p>\n Despite that, the news around Jones this offseason has been nothing but optimistic<\/a>. The quarterback has been far ahead of schedule, throwing during OTAs and mandatory minicamp and saying that he \u201cabsolutely\u201d would be ready to face the Ravens come Week 1.<\/p>\n What Pierce divulged on Wednesday was less encouraging.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Pierce said a \u201cBand-Aid type of solution\u201d 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.<\/p>\n However, \u201cit didn\u2019t fix the problem,\u201d he said at Wednesday\u2019s minicamp, via ESPN.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely got worse as the season went on, and probably the last month, I was kind of struggling to practice,\u2019\u2019 Pierce said. \u201cI had to take some days off. I\u2019m glad they kind of figured out what the issue was.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Even so, the timing wasn\u2019t 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 \u201cclean-up procedure\u201d with a four-to-six-month rehab process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe first went with the PRP shot, and that was an eight-week process,\u2019\u2019 Pierce said. \u201cEven then, a month in, I was saying, \u2018I don\u2019t feel great. I don\u2019t think this is working.\u2019 But you still have to wait because this is a thing that takes time to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n It appears likely Pierce will open training camp on the physically unable to perform list. That means by the time he\u2019s cleared to practice, he will face a tight window to be ready for the opener.<\/p>\n \u201cKind of somewhere in there, I should be back right before the season or ready to go sometime during camp, whether that\u2019s the beginning or the end,\u2019\u2019 Pierce said.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Is it possible we\u2019ll see Riley Leonard, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Josh Downs trying to fill those shoes<\/a> against the Ravens? It is. It\u2019s also possible that both Jones and Pierce will play \u2014 though, if they do, they probably won\u2019t be at 100 percent.<\/p>\nAlec Pierce’s Injury Reveal<\/h2>\n
Pierce’s Training Camp Outlook<\/h2>\n
Colts’ Week 1 Possibilities<\/h2>\n