The Indianapolis Colts are placing wide receiver Alec Pierce on injured reserve after he re-aggravated a left heel injury during Sunday night’s overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, via Colts insider Mike Chappell.
Head coach Shane Steichen confirmed the move, closing the book on a short and frustrating start to Pierce’s first season under a long-term contract.
Pierce had already been walking a tightrope. He underwent surgery on the same heel and ankle in March, then missed most of the offseason program and training camp.
The Colts activated him off the physically unable to perform list in late August and hoped he could manage a limited role to open the year.
He played through a snap count in the first two weeks, catching four passes for 61 yards against Baltimore and one for 11 yards before leaving Arrowhead Stadium on crutches and in a walking boot.
Initial X-rays were negative, but the team quickly concluded that another multi-week absence was unavoidable.
The plan for now is rehabilitation rather than a second operation.
Officials believe Pierce can return around midseason if the heel responds, though another procedure remains possible if progress stalls. Injured reserve will keep him out at least four games and give the training staff a clearer window to work.
The timing is awkward. Pierce signed a four-year deal worth about $114 million in March after leading the NFL in yards per catch in consecutive seasons and posting his first 1,000-yard year in 2025, when he finished with 47 receptions, 1,003 yards and six touchdowns.
Indianapolis traded Michael Pittman Jr. and built its passing attack around Pierce’s ability to stretch the field for quarterback Daniel Jones.
Without him, the Colts are already 0-2 and thin at the position, with Josh Downs as the clearest remaining playmaker and veteran Darius Slayton recently signed to add another deep option familiar to Jones from their Giants days.
At 26, Pierce remains one of the league’s more efficient vertical threats when healthy.
The next several weeks will test whether last spring’s surgery and this latest setback are a temporary interruption or a longer disruption to the offense Indianapolis designed around him.
For a team that bet big on his availability, the early calendar has already become a test of patience.
