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Irsay Doesn’t Think Mathis Will Be Ready for Training Camp

By Luke Schultheis

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While Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis has stated that he’ll be ready by training camp, his owner in Jim Irsay wasn’t quite as optimistic at Wednesday’s open mini-camp practice.

The 12-year veteran is still rehabilitating from a season-ending torn Achilles injury suffered early last season and hasn’t been able to practice. With time ticking ever-closer to August’s training camp, his owner has considered the realistic possibility of a delayed return:

"“Time will tell,” Jim Irsay said via ESPN’s Mike Wells. “Obviously, Robert (Mathis) wants to be back as soon as he can be. We want him back as soon as he can be. But we also want to make sure when he comes back that he’s 100 percent healthy and ready to go. Again, I talked about early November (at NFL owners meetings in March). It could be sooner than that certainly. But as far as the start of training camp, I don’t see him being a full-go guy as we’re starting up in Anderson.”"

Obviously, having the highly regarded veteran leader would give the Colts pass rush a significant boost. Mathis is just one year removed from a 19.5 sack season in 2013, and if he can regain anything close to his prior form, he’ll provide the defense with a big lift in the pass rushing department. However, Mathis is 34 years old and coming off a pretty significant injury, so expectations may need to be tampered a bit, at least initially.

In the mean time, the Colts did add veteran pass rusher Trent Cole to help improve their pass rush this offseason, so they aren’t as dependent on Mathis pass rush ability as in prior seasons. In addition to Cole, emerging 2nd-year pass rusher Jonathan Newsome is expected to see an increased role as a pass rusher after an impressive rookie season. The jury is still out on former first rounder Bjoern Werner, but if he can stay healthy, he figures to be in the mix as a pass rusher as well.

Either way, the return of a healthy Mathis, no matter when exactly it is, should make the Colts pass rush better. Right now, Colts fans are simply keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

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