On Monday, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck said that he hoped to return to practice this week but coach Chuck Pagano said he hadn’t heard anything from the training staff to indicate that would happen.
The message was either late in arriving or Pagano was playing things close to his vest because Wednesday’s practice kicked off with Luck on the field. According to multiple reporters watching the portion of practice open to the media, Luck is wearing a red no-contact jersey while taking part in his first session since suffering kidney and abdominal injuries against the Broncos in Week Eight.
Week 15 was the target date for Luck’s return set by Colts owner Jim Irsay earlier this month, although Adam Schefter of ESPN reported this week that the team wasn’t optimistic that he’d be ready to make it back for this week’s game against the Texans. Returning to practice doesn’t mean he’ll be ready to play this Sunday, but it would seem to put it in place at the very least.
Matt Hasselbeck isn’t practicing on Wednesday, although that was expected after he suffered a rib injury in last Sunday’s blowout loss to the Jaguars. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who has missed the last three games with a knee injury, is back on the field, however.