WESTFIELD — The Colts did not sign veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen because of concerns about Alec Pierce’s recovery.
Indianapolis has been in contact with Allen since the summer, according to Colts head coach Shane Steichen.
And the two receivers bring different things to the offense. Allen will play inside and outside; Pierce is the team’s No. 1 outside receiver, one of the NFL’s best deep threats. Making the move for Allen was a move made to shore up the offense around Pierce.
“No, that’s completely independent,” Steichen said.
Pierce has spent all of training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he recovers from offseason surgery to clean up a troublesome left ankle. Indianapolis initially said Pierce would be back on the field in one to two weeks, but the Colts are now in the fourth week of training camp, and Pierce will not be activated for this week’s joint practices against Atlanta.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said last week that the team is still planning for Pierce to be back for the start of the regular season, and Steichen indicated that the wide receiver is starting to show signs he’ll be back.
“Alec’s in a great spot right now,” Steichen said. “He’s doing really good. I watched him work out yesterday in the indoor. He’s moving around really good. Hopefully, we have him back soon.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts coach Shane Steichen updates Alec Pierce's status after signing Keenan Allen
Leave a Comment