QB Luck improving; Colts reportedly declined offers for Brissett
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard each expressed optimism on Monday about the progress of quarterback Andrew Luck's recovery.
"All indicators are healing is going really well and we feel really optimistic that he's turned the corner and has a full decade ahead of him of excellence," Irsay told reporters from league meetings in Orlando.
Irsay's words might understandably be taken with a grain of salt after he routinely assured fans last offseason that Luck would be ready for the 2017 season in his recovery from surgery to his throwing shoulder. Luck ultimately never played, practicing briefly midseason before soreness in the shoulder led the team to put him on injured reserve.
However, Irsay's update falls in line with those in recent weeks from Ballard and new head coach Frank Reich, who have each spoken to a positive trajectory in Luck's progress during the offseason.
Appearing Monday on the podcast of ESPN's Adam Schefter, Ballard said Luck is "doing outstanding" as he works with throwing specialists Tom House and Adam Dedeaux in California.
"[He's in] probably as good of a position as I've seen him be in since I've walked in the building," Ballard said. "He's big, he's strong, he's feeling good. He's working really hard and diligent, not skipping a step to get his body back to where it needs to be.
"He's currently still working on the throw-motion stuff... really tying his lower body into his upper body. I think when you watch tape of him in the past, he played with a big, wide base, and the guys he's working with right now are doing a nice job of really retraining him in using his lower body to take some stress off his shoulder."
Ballard added that Luck will take part in team activities when the offseason training program gets underway April 9, with plans for him to be throwing some by that time. The team will increase the 28-year-old's activity steadily as it transitions to voluntary OTAs in May and mandatory minicamp in June.
"I think we'll slowly ramp him up as we hit each phase," Ballard said, "and then Phase 3 -- by the time we get to the end of veteran minicamp, we should be in a pretty good spot."
Meanwhile, the team appears committed to keeping Luck's backup, Jacoby Brissett, despite interest from other teams.
According to an Indianapolis Star report, the Colts recently declined a pair of trade offers made for Brissett, who started 15 games in Luck's absence last season after arriving via trade from the New England Patriots on cut-down day at the end of training camp.
A third-round pick in the 2016 draft, Brissett completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions while taking a league-high 52 sacks in his first year with the Colts.
The 24-year-old is under contract for about $1.6 million over the next two seasons, making him one of the league's most affordable backup plans. If Luck returns to 100 percent this season, Brissett might be more likely to be moved, but Luck's health cannot be assumed at this point.
--Field Level Media
