The AFC South should be a competitive yet wide-open division this season as the NFL kicks off Week 1. Can the Jaguars make it back to the playoffs despite several big losses in free agency? Which C.J. Stroud will show up for the Texans this season? How much more competitive will the Tennessee Titans be as Robert Saleh starts his second gig as a head coach? And how do the Indianapolis Colts, who collapsed at the end of last season by losing seven straight games, look heading into Week 1? Here’s the latest from Circle City as the Colts get ready to face the Baltimore Ravens.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard made several major investments in the team over the past 10 months. Last November, they traded for cornerback Sauce Gardner at the deadline, surrendering a pair of first-round picks to the New York Jets. This past offseason, Ballard handed out two massive contracts: the first to receiver Alec Pierce, who was about to become a free agent, then to quarterback Daniel Jones, who tore an Achilles tendon in early December after playing through a fibula fracture weeks earlier.

Those who followed EssentiallySports during the combine were ahead of the curve on the situation with the Colts. While many debated which player the franchise would keep, I reported on February 26 that the team was working to keep both Pierce and Jones with the franchise, and that’s exactly what they did.

Pierce was a hot name as free agency drew near, as the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders were just two of the teams clamoring to sign the receiver. He agreed to a four-year, $114 million contract with the Colts on March 9, a deal that could balloon to $116 million with incentives. As I reported soon after, there was a better offer on the table, but Pierce wanted to play with Jones. Two days later, the Colts finalized a two-year, $88 million contract to keep Jones as their quarterback.

As the team approaches its first game of the season, Jones has looked completely healthy and is feeling no ill effects from the Achilles injury of last December. Pierce, on the other hand, has been dealing with an ankle injury that required surgery and came off the PUP list two weeks ago. He has been limited in practice ever since, though sources tell me he’s close to 100%.

On Wednesday, those same sources told me that they expect Pierce to suit up for Sunday’s game against the Ravens but that the team will be very cautious with their highly paid receiver. Expect Pierce to be eased into the rotation, and a heavier-than-usual workload will be given to the Colts’ fourth and fifth receivers.  I’m told Pierce is excited about getting back to work and reconnecting with Daniel Jones.