INDIANAPOLIS – Rehab is progressing for second-year safety Clayton Geathers.

The hope to have Geathers for the season opener is about to take the next step.

It's time for Geathers to lose the boot on his injured right foot.

"They're going to ramp up his rehab, and he'll start to do a little bit more from a field activity type of stuff," Chuck Pagano said late last week.

"He's doing good."

When the Colts began Training Camp on July 26, Pagano said Geathers was three weeks into rehab on his foot.

The injury has left Geathers, 24, to purely spectate all preseason without having the ability to rehab during practice, until now.

"It's very frustrating," Geathers says of being sidelined for nearly two months.

During Training Camp, defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said getting Geathers back for Week One was going to be "very close."

Without Geathers, we've seen second-round pick T.J. Green team up with Mike Adams as the starting safeties.

When Geathers does return, the Colts will have to find a role for him.

-Is it as a starter?

-Would the Colts want to use Geathers like they did last season, in a dime linebacker mode, closer to the line of scrimmage?

That will be decided once the Colts remove Geathers from the non-football injury list and he returns to full health.

From a long-term standpoint, there's no doubt that Geathers is a part of the plans at safety.

A glimpse into that future is about to arrive.

"I'm back doing a little bit more," Geathers, 6-2 and 220 pounds, says, "and that's always a good sign."