Injury Report: Colts WR Alec Pierce Joins Jones, Buckner on Summer Sidelines

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard shared an updated injury report in his pre-draft press conference earlier today, notably citing a 'clean-up' surgery of wide receiver Alec Pierce's ankle that will sideline him until at least training camp.

Pierce now joins starting quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) and star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (Neck) on the sidelines as the trio in question works back from their respective injuries this summer.

Pierce's ankle injury stems from last season, and though Pierce played on it and was willing to do so again, the procedure in question was meant to ensure the healthiest version of him moving forward.

"He kept dealing with some pain in his ankle. After the season we talked about, 'it was good enough, can we get through another year?' and then right before (and after) we signed him, I started asking some questions, and he said he could play through it again," Ballard said of his behind-the-scenes talks with Pierce.

"I knew he was hurting at times last year, so finally, after consulting with multiple doctors and [Pierce], he had a clean-up done, so it'll be training camp. You won't see him during OTAs; it's a 3-month recovery. We don't expect any long-term implications here. More of it just came down to where he was really having to maintenance it a lot last year with the pain...so he decided to knock it out."

Pierce kicked off free agency by becoming the highest-paid free agent wide receiver in NFL history, netting a four-year, $114M deal. It comes off the heels of an impressive 2025-26 campaign in which Pierce hauled in 47 of his 84 targets (56.0% catch rate) for 1,003 receiving yards (league-leading 21.3 yards per reception) and six touchdowns.

Even though it stings to lose Piece for such a long stretch of valuable work, this procedure should be viewed more as a proactive decision to prevent further injury rather than an immediate concern.

The tradeoff of being 100% healthy for the season and also preventing further issues far outweighs the negative of not having Pierce around for organized team activities (OTAs) in the summer. Furthermore, Pierce was already set to be without quarterback Daniel Jones, who is working back from his Achilles tear, therefore the downside of his time missed is even less of a negative.

Additional Injury Updates

The remaining injury updates are far less newsworthy, given they are more or less continued steps in the right direction, but still important nonetheless. Below, I will include the direct quotes that general manager Chris Ballard provided in his pre-draft press conference, along with a short blurb about the player(s) in question.

QB Daniel Jones

"He is progressing really well. He's throwing, he's moving. He's in a really good spot. Final timeline? We're all shooting for Week 1, for sure, but we'll kind of let his body dictate. But he's in a really good place and is moving along."

As evidenced by last season, the current version of the Colts offense under head coach Shane Steichen will go as far as Jones can take them. Returning from an Achilles tear is one of the more difficult injuries to bounce back from, but the Colts are confident that he's ready to start come Week 1.

DT DeForest Buckner

"It'll be training camp, but he's in a really good spot. "He started doing some plyometric and movement stuff."

Buckner is the straw that stirs the Colts' drink that is their defensive front. Getting him back will be crucial to their success on the side of the ball, but a neck injury is nothing to mess with, especially when dealing with a 32-year-old defensive lineman. Buckner was vulnerable in his end-of-season press conference, mentioning how he's at the tail end of his career, but ultimately said that he'd be competing come the 2026-27 season.

K Spencer Shrader

"He's coming back from his ACL. He's already kicking. I know he made a 54-yarder the other day. He's right at the sixth month mark, so he'll be good."

Shrader missed just one of fourteen kick attempts through five games last season before tearing his ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Colts re-signed Blake Grupe as insurance earlier this offseason, but still ultimately view Shrader as their placekicker of the future.

DBs Hunter Wohler and Justin Walley

"Walley and Hunter both are at the end of their rehab. I expect them for most of OTAs, but they're progressing really well."

The pair of second-year defensive backs were slated for big-time roles as rookies, but training camp injuries to Walley (ACL) and Wohler (Lisfranc) extinguished the fires before they could erupt.

Sign Up For the Colts Daily Digest - OnSI’s Indianapolis Colts Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google