General manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that Pierce (ankle) is expected to play Week 1 against the Ravens, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
The wideout still has some hurdles to clear in the recovery process from March surgery, and though he's not practicing with the Colts while on the PUP list, Pierce was in attendance for Tuesday's session and was seen taking part in individual work off to the side, per Boyd. After trading away Michael Pittman and rewarding Pierce with a four-year, $114 million contract earlier this offseason, the Colts are counting on the 26-year-old to take on a much larger role in the aerial attack after he has mostly operated as a low-volume vertical threat over his first four seasons in the league.