Andrew Luck's persistent calf injury may not be a calf injury after all.
Speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio early Tuesday, Colts owner Jim Irsay said his quarterback is dealing with a "small little bone" injury in his lower left leg that's forced him to spend most of training camp on the sidelines.
“I feel very confident he’s going to find a way through this thing. I think after the (Kevin) Durant thing, everyone is erring on the side of caution, but quite frankly, this is not even in the Achilles tendon,” Irsay said. “It’s a bone. I’m not good at these things, but it’s a small little bone.”
By Tuesday night, the Colts reportedly were expected to sit Luck for the entire preseason.
Colts now say QB Andrew Luck is likely to sit out the preseason with his ankle injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2019
All reports before Tuesday indicated the 29-year-old QB was dealing with a calf strain that has kept him out of the last 12 practices.
General manager Chris Ballard went into detail later Tuesday, saying Luck has been hit with multiple injuries both to his calf and now ankle. Ballard also said Luck has seen a specialist for an injury in the "high ankle-ish" area.
"Luck has been dealing with a calf injury," he told media. "Over the course of dealing with the calf, he now has an ankle issue."
Ballard doesn't expect to see Luck play during the preseason, a message Colts head coach Frank Reich hinted at last week. Ballard also said he wasn't prepared to declare that Luck wouldn't be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 8, but the QB's availability certainly appears to be no sure thing now.
"We're 3½ weeks away from the regular season, I'm not ready to say," Ballard said Tuesday night.
Reich told reporters last week that Luck would miss several more practices and sit out the team's second preseason game this Saturday against the Browns.
"Obviously we're not comfortable with putting him out there. We're going to continue to work with our medical staff on the plan moving forward," Reich said (via 1070 The Fan ).
Luck has participated in three training camp practices, all as a limited participant, and said he feels as if something would pull when he moves a certain way.
According to NFL.com , Luck's status has led the Colts to consider carrying three quarterbacks on the roster to open the season.
Luck made his fourth Pro Bowl last season after throwing for 4,593 yards with 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He was named the Pro Football Writers Association's Comeback Player of the Year after missing all of 2017 following offseason shoulder surgery.