Andrew Luck injury update: Targeting Week 6 return?

Andrew Luck has not appeared to be close to playing this season, but that narrative may be shifting.

For his entire career to this point, Andrew Luck has been covering up the flaws of the Indianapolis Colts. His absence for nine games in 2015 spotlighted the talent shortage on the rest of the roster, and offseason shoulder surgery has sidelined him for at least the first three games this year.

But according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Luck is expected to start practicing as early as this week with a return to action to follow theoretically soon after. The Colts took Luck off the PUP list before Week 1, so the required minimum six-week absence had he remained on that list is not in play.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported similarly regarding Luck’s looming return to practice this coming week. But Rapoport added a target date of Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans for Luck to play.

Where exactly the Colts’ record will be by Week 6 is the question. After Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, they will hit the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 and then welcome the San Francisco 49ers to town in Week 5.

A 2-3 mark looks possible at that point, with the assumption of a win over the Browns and a loss to Seattle, but 1-4 or 0-5 is obviously not out of the question. That said, even a winless record may not leave the Colts all that far behind in the AFC South. If Luck is ready to go for Week 6, with all six division games still ahead on the schedule starting that Sunday, a run to the division title would be possible.

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Even if he is not quite ready by Week 6, Luck seems sure to play at some point fairly soon after that. Risking his long-term health in what could be a lost season is not a wise move, but Luck surely wants to play and the Colts won’t stop him if he’s medically cleared.