Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis suffered a bit of a setback in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon that ended his 2014 season before it ever began.
But despite the difficulty with the injury, Mathis still hopes to be ready in time for training camp.
In an interview with Alex Marvez and Bill Polian on Sirius XM NFL radio, Mathis said he still anticipates being ready by July.
“It’s not going as fast as I would like to but we are getting well and we should be clicking in camp. That’s my plan unless you’ve heard anything else,” Mathis said.
Marvez referenced Colts owner Jim Irsay’s comments from the league meetings in Arizona last week saying that Mathis may not be ready to play until November.
Mathis said he’s planning to be back much sooner than that.
“Yeah, very much so,” Mathis said. “I’m a competitor so if I can get out there with one Achilles, I’ll do it.”
Mathis had a career-high 19.5 sacks in 2013. However, a PED suspension due to fertility drugs forced Mathis to miss the first four games of the season. He then suffered the Achilles tear while working out on his own during that span and was lost for the year.
Mathis is now 34 years old and coming off a major injury. What he’ll be able to produce at this stage of his career will be a significant question mark.