Colts' Alec Pierce Is Expected To Play Week 1, But Is He Ready?

The Indianapolis Colts are expecting wide receiver Alec Pierce to play in their regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, head coach Shane Steichen said to kick off Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

However, what version of Pierce we'll get remains to be seen.

The fifth-year passcatcher earned a four-year, $114 million deal from the Colts earlier this offseason, taking the torch from Michael Pittman Jr. as the team's newest WR1.

Pierce amassed over 1,000 receiving yards (1,003) for the first time in his career, and did so on just 84 targets. His 21.3 yards-per-reception average in 2025 made it the second consecutive season that he led the league in that statistic, but it was Pierce's improved route-running chops and newfound confidence in the underneath passing game that suggested he'd continue his upward trajectory.

This development saw Colts general manager Chris Ballard and Co. reward him with his aforementioned megadeal, but Pierce's offseason surgery brought more concern than hope as we inched toward the regular season.

Even though Pierce has been a full participant in practice over the last several days of practice, there's reason to believe he won't be at 100% effectiveness early on.

Recapping AP's Offseason

Alec Pierce earned his historic free agent deal in early March, but he was indefinitely sidelined later that month after he had a 'clean-up' procedure done on his left ankle/heel.

The Colts wideout played through pain throughout the 2025 regular season. Although he had a career-best season doing so, Pierce explained during the summer that he and his camp felt it was best to address his nagging injury before it surfaced in the 2026 season and derailed his outlook.

Pierce's rehab kept him sidelined for the entirety of the offseason, and even though returning during training camp was technically within that aforementioned four-to-six-month window, he didn't fully return to the gridiron until last week, just one week before the beginning of the regular season.

“Yeah, he should be good," head coach Shane Steichen said about Alec Pierce's Week 1 availability. "We'll get him some reps in practice this week just like he took reps last week, and he's feeling really good.”

Pierce's extended absence prevented him from practicing in any capacity, but not being able to establish a connection with quarterback Daniel Jones is a tad concerning. The two proved to have some chemistry during their time together in the 2025 season, but with both returning from major surgeries, it's hard to see them looking like a top-tier QB-WR pairing out of the gate.

However, Colts' head coach Shane Steichen and Co. are not concerned.

“I think obviously, working out the kinks last week, getting him back in, throwing routes on the side too as well – not in team drills, but them just throwing on the side and getting those reps as well this week in practice will be big," Steichen explained.

"But obviously, they had a good connection last year and I think both those guys are veterans that kind of know each other really well. So, we're looking forward to that.”

Steichen recognized that there's bound to be some rust given that Pierce has only recently returned to the mix, but he pointed to their connection last season as a reason to be confident in the duo early on in 2026.

Increased Workload

Alec Pierce saw a career-high 84 passes come his way in 2025, making it the first time in four seasons that he's been targeted over 80 times.

All he needed was 47 receptions to notch his first career 1,000-yard receiving season, and now he's bound to see 100+ targets come his way with Michael Pittman Jr. now out of the picture entirely.

Pierce is expected to take full advantage of his increased workload and continue his upward trajectory as a true WR1 in the NFL, but any lingering side effects from his quick return from a long rehab are what concern most.

There's no doubt that Pierce will only improve upon his statistical output from a season ago with more opportunity, so even though his recent slate as a full participant in practice suggests he's 100% healthy, there's reason to believe we won't see a fully explosive and confident version of Pierce to kick off the new year.

Hopefully, Pierce's slow and steady rehab was the best possible way to go about it, because otherwise the Colts are merely hoping that their newest WR1 is good to go as they enter a brutal stretch of games to begin the 2026 regular season.

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