INDIANAPOLIS — No. 12 is back — on the practice field, that is.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck on Wednesday participated in practice for the first time in 2017, more than nine months after undergoing surgery to his right throwing shoulder.
Luck, who donned his typical red No. 12 practice jersey at Wednesday's session, is now expected to work his way back into more of a normal practice routine one day at a time.
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said Monday that there's no expectation Luck will "come back out and take all the first-team reps and play 50, 60, 70 snaps in practice a day," in his first week back, but, "…like anybody else, (he'll) do some individual (drills), throw some routes versus air, stay with his throwing progression and (we'll) bring him along."
On Wednesday, Pagano confirmed that Luck will be a limited participant in Wednesday's practice — stretching, going through individual drills and throwing some routes versus air — before continuing rehab work with team trainers. Luck will do rehab-only on Thursday, and then will return to the practice field on Friday for more limited work with the team.
Luck, who underwent surgery in January after the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, is coming off perhaps his best overall performance in his six-year NFL career. In 15 games, he completed 346-of-545 passes (63.5 percent) for 4,240 yards with 31 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, and also ran the ball 64 times for 341 yards (5.3 yards per carry) with two more scores on the ground.
In his career, the three-time Pro Bowler has completed 1,570-of-2,651 passes (59.2 percent) for 19,078 yards with 132 touchdowns to 68 interceptions, and has 286 rushing attempts for 1,442 yards (5 yards per carry) and 14 rushing touchdowns.
The Colts this season have started two quarterbacks in Luck's place: seventh-year veteran backup Scott Tolzien and second-year North Carolina State product Jacoby Brissett.
Tolzien started the team's Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, and then the team turned to Brissett, who was acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots on Sept. 2, as its starter for the last three games.
Brissett, who has been praised for his poise and for his quick knowledge of the Colts' playbook, has, in all, completed 55-of-93 passes (59.1 percent) for 683 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he's also been effective as a scrambler, as he's carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards (4.9 avg.) with two touchdowns.
Brissett is expected to get the start on Sunday, when the Colts play host to the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium.
For more on this story, check back with Colts.com.
