Colts news: Indianapolis targeting training camp return for Andrew Luck

Indianapolis Colts star quarterback Andrew Luck is still trying to work his way back from injury after missing the entire 2017 campaign. Although he has yet to throw a football, the team finally has a target for his return to the football field.

After dealing with the Josh McDaniels fiasco and eventually bringing Frank Reich to be Chuck Pagano's successor, the Indianapolis Colts turned their attention to the 2018 NFL Draft. Now that the draft has come and gone, the waiting game continues for Andrew Luck's return to the field.

After missing the entire 2017 campaign, the three-time Pro Bowler's future in the league has been uncertain. Despite the uncertainty, the Colts finally have a target date to look forward to regarding Luck's return, according to general manager Chris Ballard via Pro Football Talk.

“[The] timeline’s good,” Colts G.M. Chris Ballard said during a recent visit to PFT Live. “You know, he’s actually not even throwing a football. He’s doing everything we’re asking him to do. He’s got a program specifically laid out that puts his timeline to be back at training camp. He didn’t want to skip a step. I don’t know if he skipped a step last year, but I think he felt the pressure of coming back. Not rushing; I don’t want to say rushing. But, you know, he felt the pressure of coming back. And he couldn’t get back right. This year, whenever he sat down with me in early January he said, ‘Look, I don’t want to skip a step. I want to do this the right way.’ And he’s doing that. He looks the best I’ve seen him. His body’s in great shape. His arm feels really good. He’s just taking it step by step. We’re looking at training camp as our target date right now.”

At this point, there's no telling whether Luck will be the same player once he makes his return. Although he was once dubbed a future superstar and Peyton Manning's heir apparent in Indianapolis, Luck will be heading into a make-or-break season in 2018 which could determine his long-term future in the NFL.

After earning Pro Bowl honors in first three seasons in Indianapolis while playing all 16 games and leading the Colts into the playoffs with 11-5 records in those years, Luck played in only 22 games since and the franchise has suffered mightily as a result.

The Colts brass will continue with the cautious approach with Luck as he tries to get back to 100 percent before training camp. Only time will tell if the Stanford product is the same player of old.