Stephen Holder
Multiple Authors
INDIANAPOLIS — More than eight months after he final performed in a regulation NFL sport, Indianapolis Colts vast receiver Alec Pierce made his largest step towards getting again on the sphere.
Pierce on Thursday was activated from the bodily unable to carry out record, shifting him nearer to enjoying in Week 1 towards the Baltimore Ravens following his offseason ankle surgical procedure.
Pierce practiced with the Colts on Thursday in a restricted capability and now the race is on to get him able to roll.
“First time being back out here wearing a helmet, playing with the other NFL players,” he stated. “So, you’ve got to knock a little bit of rust off.”
Pierce signed a four-year, $114 million contract extension in March, primarily confirming his function because the Colts’ No. 1 receiver. But quickly after that transaction got here phrase that he wanted surgical procedure to alleviate ankle ache that plagued him final season, when he led the NFL in yards per catch for the second straight season (21.3).
The surgical process to handle the unspecified concern, Pierce stated, got here after different efforts geared toward avoiding surgical procedure. Pierce and his medical doctors initially tried utilizing a platelet-rich plasma injection, but it surely didn’t have the specified impact after the requisite six to eight weeks.
That led to the delayed surgical procedure, which resulted in a rehab course of that stored him out of the Colts’ total coaching camp.
“I’m definitely of the mindset of trying to avoid the knife as much as possible,” Pierce stated. “I think you can do a lot with [physical therapy] and rehab. So that’s what we did. We did that shot and I started a bunch of PT and rehab. We scanned to see if the issue had been solved, and it hadn’t been solved.”
Pierce now says the difficulty ought to be completely corrected. The return of Pierce on Thursday was met with elation from his teammates, who had a noticeable response when he took the sphere.
“Anytime you have a star player come back off an injury and be out there with the guys,” coach Shane Steichen stated, “it brings a lot of juice to the football team.”
Pierce rejoins an offensive lineup the Colts consider can compete with anybody in the AFC. The Colts return quarterback Daniel Jones (who seems absolutely recovered from the Achilles tear he sustained in December), star working again Jonathan Taylor, receiver Josh Downs, tight finish Tyler Warren and newly signed receiver Keenan Allen.
Whether Pierce performs in the season opener and performs his regular allotment of snaps stays to be seen. He was restricted to particular person drills in Thursday’s practice however hopes to rejoin full-team parts subsequent week. That would give him two weeks of full exercises to organize.
“We have two weeks to get him ramped up,” Steichen stated. “He’s a veteran. He’s a pro. I know he’s going to handle it the right way. We’ll be smart as we ramp him up and get him ready for Week 1.”
Pierce had his greatest season as a professional in 2025, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards for the primary time. He completed with 1,003 receiving yards on 47 catches.