Warren's Groin and the Special Teams Vacancy Are Both Still Unresolved. Week 1 Is Days Away.

The good news on Tyler Warren came quickly — NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported positive early returns on the groin injury Warren picked up during Wednesday's joint practice. That's worth something. But "positive news" is not a clearance, and Warren is still a question mark heading into the final week before the opener. He joins Alec Pierce in the category of offensive pieces Indianapolis needs but cannot fully count on right now.

The other open item is the one I flagged three days ago and still haven't been able to close out: the special teams coordinator vacancy. Brian Mason tore multiple knee ligaments in a sideline collision on August 14, and as of this writing, Indianapolis has not publicly named a replacement. That's now nearly a week without a confirmed answer at a position that handles kickoffs, punt coverage, and return game — the kind of stuff that quietly decides close games in September.

Two contingencies at once, with the calendar running short. The Warren situation may resolve itself cleanly given the early optimism. The coordinator vacancy is harder to wave off — someone has to run those units in Week 1, and whoever it is needs reps with the group before then. That's the one I'm still watching.