Stampede Blue on Alec Pierce
From the article
Pierce had ankle surgery in March after playing through the injury last season... That timeline has now become much less clear... Ballard reportedly said Pierce was "a week or two away" from returning near the start of camp, yet Steichen was asked this week whether there was a timetable and answered, "No, not right now."
STACKED’s take
Ankle surgery recovery timeline murky; conflicting Colts messaging raises concern about Week 1 availability.
Pierce underwent ankle surgery in March after playing through the injury last season. Chris Ballard initially indicated a three-month recovery timeline pointing to a training camp return, and Shane Steichen said the team expected him back "at some point in training camp." However, the timeline has become unclear: Pierce opened camp on the active/PUP list, Ballard later said he was "a week or two away" from returning near the start of camp, yet Steichen this week stated "No, not right now" when asked about a timetable. The Colts organization has a history of vague injury communication (Andrew Luck, Shaq Leonard's back issue leading to a lost season), which compounds fan concern. The sequence of conflicting messaging—surgery in March, optimistic initial timeline, PUP list, recent "close" report, now no timetable—is not reassuring. With Michael Pittman Jr. gone, Pierce is a key piece in the passing game whose vertical ability impacts defensive schemes; losing practice reps during his rehab with no clear return date hampers the Colts' passing game development with Daniel Jones rebuilding timing.
Alec PierceWRPlayer page — value, ADP, projections, and every insight