Reggie Wayne will start running next week
Indianapolis Colts injured wide receiver Reggie Wayne against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Colts 40-11. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
It will be interesting to see how the Indianapolis Colts divvy up the targets between their pass-catchers next season, because there’s a possibility that Reggie Wayne will be the Colts No. 2 option in the passing attack for the first time since Marvin Harrison donned the Colts uni. Wayne has been the main “guy” in the passing attack over the last few seasons, but T.Y. Hilton’s emergence despite a shoulder injury- especially his 224-yard receiving day in the Wild Card round that really carried things- and his playmaking ability could change how the passing attack flows in Indy. And while Wayne says he’ll be back better than ever from his ACL tear, he is 35 and might see his ability curtailed as a result of the injury (plus, almost every player says they’ll be better than ever).
The fact of the matter is that Wayne’s savvy, route-running, and hands will ensure that he’ll still be productive even if his speed and explosiveness are further sapped by the injury. His rehab has also been going very well to this point, and it would honestly be a surprise for him to be unable to recover from the ACL tear.
According to ESPN NFL Nation’s Mike Wells, Wayne will begin running next week on the treadmill, and Wayne himself stated that he feels “very good” and is ahead of schedule. It’s great to hear that things are going well, and Wayne should have another very productive season in 2014. But with Hilton only getting better and Dwayne Allen set to return from his season-ending injury in 2013, there will be less targets to go around for the veteran wideout.