The Indianapolis Colts activated wide receiver Alec Pierce from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday, just a little over two weeks away from the start of the 2026 season. And if there was any doubt that Pierce would be free to practice but couldn't, he ended those thoughts quickly.
The wideout was participating in drills immediately, catching several passes from quarterback Daniel Jones. While he wasn't running at full speed on most of his routes, no receiver was. These were simply drills.
Still, Pierce had his helmet on and didn't appear to be hampered by the ankle surgery he had in March. Instead, he was moving fluidly and catching with ease. Another reason for positivity when it comes to the player who signed a four-year contract worth as much as $114 million this past offseason is that he doesn't need to be full-go until the beginning of the season.
Alec Pierce is back and Indianapolis Colts fans can rejoice
Just having him back at practice is uplifting enough. One might have assumed that, as much as Indy kept pushing back his return date, Pierce wouldn't be ready for the start of the season. To be fair, he might still miss Week 1, but that now appears unlikely. He probably will play, and he shouldn't be overly limited, if he is limited at all.
Alec Pierce back at work, pic.twitter.com/Zf4NzuPne6
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) August 27, 2026
The Indianapolis Colts are going to need him to be successful, of course. Not just in the form of the explosive receiver who led the NFL in yards per catch in each of the last two seasons, but one who can be more versatile in his route tree. He is the true WR1 in Indy and paid like one.
He has never had 50 catches in any one season, and only once has he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards. That must change in the future, and Alec Pierce just needs the ball more. His targets should increase by 20-30, at least, and that should also allow Pierce to get close to 80 receptions (again, at least) and 1,400 yards or so. That is what WR1s should do.
Helping Pierce likely have a successful season is the team's recent signing of veteran Keenan Allen in free agency. Allen is the type of valuable WR3 who can work underneath while Pierce works his magic deep down the field. The two should work well off of one another while Josh Downs works underneath and can also go deep.
The bottom line is that the Indianapolis Colts finally have Alec Pierce back just in time for the start of the season. Indy fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
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