WESTFIELD – After a couple days of individual drills off to the side while wearing cleats, as his teammates cycled through a more traditional training camp practice, Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce was back in his role roaming the sidelines, rarely more than a step or two away from his wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne.
Behind the scenes though, the Colts say they continue to be pleased with the 26-year-old’s rehab from late-March ankle surgery now nearly five months removed from the procedure.
“I’m not concerned about Alec,” Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds told reporters Sunday ahead of training camp practice, exactly four weeks before the team’s regular season-opener against the Ravens.
Having received a platelet-rich plasma injection days after the end of the season that he hoped would keep him from surgery – a procedure that put him in a walking boot for three weeks and left him able to only lightly jog after eight before electing to undergo surgery when the injection didn’t relieve him of the pain, Pierce is yet to take the field with the team where he signed a four-year, $114 million free agent deal in mid-March.
The Colts do not expect Pierce to return over the course of the next week – a stretch that includes a pair of joint practices Wednesday and Thursday with the Atlanta Falcons before the teams face off Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis’ second preseason game.
“He’s doing good. He’s working hard,” Dodds said of Pierce on Sunday.
Several key Colts still sidelined with injuries
After the Colts’ injury report nearly reached double-digits Saturday in their first on-field action following Thursday’s preseason opener at New England, Indianapolis saw several players return to the field Sunday – most notably rookie linebacker CJ Allen, who has missed the majority of his first training camp with separate injuries – the latest a hamstring. Rookie offensive guard Jalen Farmer and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi returned to the field after missing Saturday, too.
All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward remains sidelined with back pain he began experiencing following last Sunday’s practice – forcing the Colts to keep him home for the team’s east coast trip last week. Receiver and return specialist Anthony Gould, who did not play in Thursday’s preseason game against the Patriots, has now missed the team’s last two practices with a groin injury, according to head coach Shane Steichen. Offensive tackle Luke Tenuta remained sidelined for the second consecutive practice with what appeared to be a knee injury he suffered during Thursday night’s action.
Outside Pierce, who remains on the physically unable to perform list, second-year running back DJ Giddens remains the player who’s stint on the injury report has lasted the longest of late with a nagging hamstring injury. The former fifth-round pick entered training camp in a head-to-head battle with rookie seventh-round pick Seth McGowan to back-up Jonathan Taylor, and McGowan has excelled in his elevated number of reps in Giddens’ absence. The injury, too, has given second-year running back Ulysses Bentley IV – who boasts the best set of pass-catching hands in the Colts’ running back room – an opening to potentially vie for the Colts’ No. 3 spot with a unique skillset the Colts currently lack.
Steichen told reporters Sunday that Giddens, who returned to walk-thru work Sunday, will have an opportunity to win back his spot on the depth chart – and perhaps his roster spot – when he returns to the field, but made no guarantees.
“When you get hurt in this league, there’s guys who step up. Obviously, he’s got an opportunity, but when he’s got that opportunity, he’s going to have to make the most of it,” Steichen said of Giddens. “He is a very talented player, but as you said, Seth (McGowan) and (Ulysses) Bentley are doing a helluva job.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts injury updates: Alec Pierce won't be back for Falcons joint practices