Pierce's Ankle Is Still a Question. Week 1 Is Getting Close.

The Colts' GM called Alec Pierce's recovery "great progress" on August 11. That same day, Pierce received another PRP injection in his left ankle. Both things are true, and together they tell you roughly where this stands: the team is managing pain, not wrapping up a recovery.

Pierce was the Colts' leading receiver last season — 1,003 yards and 6 touchdowns in 15 games — and he sits atop the depth chart heading into 2026. The surgery was, by his own account, unavoidable. The question now isn't whether he'll be back eventually; it's whether he'll be functional when the opener kicks off. No firm timeline has been offered, and at this point in August, the absence of a timeline is itself information.

The Colts built their offseason around offensive continuity. Daniel Jones is healthy, Jonathan Taylor is locked in on a new extension, and the receiving corps around Pierce — Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs — gives Jones workable options. But Pierce is the deep threat that stretches a defense, and his absence changes what that offense can do, not just who catches the ball.

My read is this: if Pierce isn't practicing in full within the next week or so, the Colts are going into Week 1 treating him as a game-time decision at best. That's a manageable situation, not a crisis — but it's one more variable on a team that already has its hands full at cornerback.