INDIANAPOLIS —Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich on Wednesday confirmed quarterback Andrew Luck will be with the team when it begins its offseason workout program on April 2.
Luck, who continues to do rehab work on his surgically-repaired right shoulder, has been working in California the past couple months since the end of the 2017 regular season.
As of Wednesday, Reich, speaking at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indy, said Luck is "still out West," but that's not necessarily out of the ordinary this time of year.
"(He's) still going through all the strength training, all the normal stuff," Reich said. "At this time of year, we're not allowed to be together anyway so pretty par for the course as far as players are all out, working out where they feel it's best for them to get stronger and better."
Reich said Luck is yet to start throwing a football as part of his rehab work, but "he's continuing to make the progress that was expected with the weighted balls and working on the motion and everything is going according to plan."
Luck underwent surgery in January 2017 and would miss the entire year. The team and Luck were hopeful he could return at some point during the 2017 season, but after briefly returning to the practice field in October in a limited role, but then experiencing some discomfort in his right shoulder, the Colts decided to shut the quarterback down and ramp up his rehab work to get him 100 percent for 2018.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard on Wednesday said the team hopes to see Luck throwing a football by April or May during the OTA period, but, repeating his message this entire process, said Luck "will not skip a step" in his rehab just to get to a particular point of his recovery.
"I think we need to see Andrew just get back into football and being with his teammates again. I think Andrew is going to tell you the same thing. I think that's important," Ballard said. "Every step that he's taking right now has a purpose behind it, and we feel good about where he's at right now. Even though he hasn't picked up a football right now, he's doing some things that's showing us that he is where he is and he's going in the right direction."
Ballard continues to have no doubts that Luck will "be ready" when he needs to be.
"You've got to remember now, he played for two years banged up, and then he had this whole year off. So, taking a year where you're not every day working the motion, it just takes time to get back," Ballard said. "When is that point? I wish I could give you a date and say, 'Alright, here's the drop-down day.' It's just – can't do it. I know this: I believe in the kid. I believe in where he's at mentally, and he's going to do some really good things going forward and he's in a good place."
According to NFL rules, a team with a new head coach can begin its offseason workout program on the first Monday in April, compared to the third Monday in April for teams with returning head coaches.
The first phase of team workouts, which are strictly voluntary, are limited to four hours a day of strength and conditioning the first two weeks, when only strength coaches are allowed on the field or in the weight room with the players.
