Andrew Luck should be back in his old spot when the Indianapolis Colts open training camp next week.

Yes Joel Bitonio Jersey , he’ll be behind center. Yes, he’ll take some extra days off. And, no, he may not play the usual preseason rotation.

But when he’s on the field, general manager Chris Ballard expects to see the same old Luck -throwing passes without limitations for the first time in more than 18 months.

”He’s good to go,” Ballard said Friday during a media tour of the team’s new camp site at Grand Park Sports Campus in a northern Indianapolis suburb. ”Like (coach) Frank (Reich) and Andrew talked about at minicamp, we’ll try to mimic it like a regular season week. He’s going to have days off. He’s not going to throw seven days a week.”

Players were not available for interviews Friday.

Luck’s return is the best news yet for a team trying to rebound from a 4-12 season and a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance.

Luck said he played through a sore right shoulder in 2015 and eventually opted for surgery on the partially torn labrum in January 2017. He missed all of last season as he tried to rehab.

Two weeks after Luck started to throw in October, he was shut down after complaining of lingering pain. In early November, he was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list and didn’t resume throwing publicly again until last month’s three-day mandatory minicamp.

He’s spent the last five weeks working out in California.

”I haven’t been with him, but I’ve seen enough throws that I know he’s throwing the ball pretty well Barry Church Jersey ,” Ballard said before reflecting on his thoughts from last month’s throwing sessions. ”I thought the first day there was one ball on a swing pass, `OK, there you go, he really let it go.’ The next day, there were four to five balls he really let go. I think that’ll be the case when you get to camp.”

The plan calls for Luck to throw about four days per week at camp – simulating his regular-season routine.

But nobody can say with certainty when, or if, the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 will regain his Pro Bowl form.

”I think we’ll get questions until he lines up and plays again, and plays high-level football again,” Ballard said. ”I can see the panic the first time he throws an interception. It’s just part of what we do. He understands it. He gets it.”

Ballard acknowledged Luck needs to take ”live reps” during camp and indicated Luck would likely see some preseason action. How much time is still to be determined, and Ballard declined to say whether Luck would play in Indy’s preseason opener Dalton Schultz Jersey , Aug. 9 at Seattle.

Luck isn’t the only player who will be watched closely.

Starting safeties Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker are both expected to open camp on the physically unable to perform list next week. Geathers had offseason knee surgery – what Ballard described as a ”clean-up” procedure – while Hooker is rehabbing from torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee.

Left tackle Anthony Castonzo and left guard Jeremy Vujnovich also could be placed on PUP. Castonzo pulled a hamstring while working out last week. Vujnovich, who started all 16 games last season, is recovering from a pulled calf muscle.

The Colts report to camp Wednesday and will work out in Westfield through Aug. 18.

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During the Texans‘ nine-week offseason program, Deshaun Watson had a set of goals in mind.

The second-year quarterback out of Clemson, who is recovering from tearing his right ACL during practice last season, said he met and surpassed them by the end of the team’s final veteran minicamp on Wednesday.

”Never satisfied, I always feel like I can do better,” Watson said. ”We’ll get better. Those nine weeks I’ve gained a lot on and off the field. Mentally, physically, emotionally Kareem Jackson Jersey , spiritually and I’ve been able to take my game and me as a person to another level.”

Going through this rehab process is not new to Watson.

In his freshman season at Clemson, Watson tore the ACL in his left knee during practice as well. Having been through it before and knowing the work he put in, Watson wasn’t surprised about his progress.

”I kind of knew where I was going to be,” Watson said. ”I put the time, effort and work in every morning. Just been grinding, so I’m not surprised at all. I’m right where I need to be and where I want to be.”

Despite having to recover from the injury, Watson feels as if he is ahead of where he was this time last year.

In 2017, Watson was selected No. 12 overall by the Texans and participated in the offseason program. During his second offseason in the NFL, his experience from the past year is paying dividends now.

”I’m light years away from where I was last year coming in,” Watson said. ”Just a rookie knowing what I knew from college and what I learned in the pre-draft and what I learned in the QB room. Everything was going so fast Marvin Jones Jr Jersey , a lot of information at that time.

”Having a full season and offseason with Coach (Bill) O’Brien and Coach Sean Ryan I’ve been able to advance my game and take my game to a whole other level. It’s been great.”

O’Brien has seen first-hand the improvement and development of the young quarterback.

”With the work ethic he has and the mindset that he has you’re going to get better at knowledge of the offense, knowledge of the defense and your own mechanics,” O’Brien said.

”There’s just been a lot of improvement in a lot of different areas. He’ll keep it going over the next five weeks and he’ll be ready for training camp.”

Heading into this year’s training camp for the Texans, unlike in some past seasons, there is no doubt who will be taking the reps with the main offensive unit.

With everything being settled on that side, O’Brien said he knows how the reps will be divided.

The biggest benefit is the team knows exactly what they will start working on once training camp begins.

”This year we know who our starting quarterback is,” O’Brien said. ”Obviously we’re very comfortable with that. That’s a good thing for our football team. All that means is that we’re settled there.

”It doesn’t mean anything relative to last year. It just means hey look we’ve got to come in ready to go in training camp and we’ve got to continue where we left off from when he was the quarterback.”

The Texans will finish their offseason program with meetings on Thursday before breaking for five weeks. Houston will open training camp at The Greenbrier in West Virginia at the end of July.

The Texans open their preseason at Kansas City on Aug. 9.

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