It has been an arduous path to recovery from shoulder surgery for Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck over that extended well beyond an entire year. This has entailed him experiencing several setbacks along the way that has only prolonged the process forcing him to miss the entire 2017 campaign.
However, Luck finally appears to be on the right track toward being ready to go at some point over this offseason. According to Mike Wells of ESPN, general manager Chris Ballard stated at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday that he has “no doubt” that the 28-year-old will be playing in 2018.
“Do I have any doubt that he's going to be ready? No, I don't,” Ballard said.
The Colts haven't strayed from the belief that he will won't be ready to return to the field this upcoming season. In fact, there has been a tentative timetable of him being able to participate in training camp, which speaks to the progress he has made in the last couple of months.
Although he has yet to throw a football, he has been able to progress to tossing around a weighted ball in order to rebuild strength in his shoulder. Ballard did voice that the team expects Luck to begin throwing footballs at some point in either April or May as long as he doesn't experiences any setbacks.
“I think we'll get there during April and May to where we're all seeing the progress we want to see,” Ballard said. “Talking to him and talking to the doctors, we've all ruled out [another] surgery. I think it's at the point where we have to make sure. You have to remember that he played for two years banged-up. Then he had this whole year off.”
The Colts clearly have much faith that Luck can return to the field as their franchise quarterback for the next several years. Prior to the injury, he had shown much reason to believe he could help lead Indianapolis to contend for a Super Bowl. This saw him lift the franchise to three straight playoff appearances to start his career highlighted by a trip to the AFC Championship game.
Ultimately, the Colts will continue to monitor the situation closely over the next few months in order to make a better determination of his availability for the 2018 season.
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