In the last few weeks, there has been plenty of chatter surrounding the recovery process for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and where exactly he stands. Following the news that Luck has once again begun throwing, Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network has clarified that the 28-year-old has actually been tossing around weighed balls, and not footballs.

This is a promising step forward for Luck as the activity of throwing weighed balls signals that he has been able to perform this type of motion without any notable pain while rebuilding the strength back into his surgically-repaired right shoulder.

It has been a long road to recovery for him, featuring a few setbacks along the way that ultimately forced him to sit out the entire 2017 season.

The fact that he has ramped up his rehab by throwing falls in line with him being able to get back on the field by training camp this offseason. Luck also hasn't experienced any sort of setback over the last couple of months despite chatter that additional surgery could have been an option.

It is a promising sign that the Pro Bowl quarterback looks to finally be on track in his recovery process, but it won't push the Colts to speed up the program by any measure due to his importance to their long-term future.

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Indianapolis still views him as their franchise quarterback for the next several years and hopes that he can lead them to great success in time. In his first three years in the league, he reached the playoffs in each campaign, going a step forward in making the AFC Championship game in January of 2015.

At this point, it is just another step toward for the Colts to get back their starting quarterback and move the team out of the rut that they have been in over the last few seasons. Indianapolis will continue to monitor the situation closely over the next several weeks as Luck works his shoulder back into form.