T.Y. Hilton‘s season debut appears near. The longtime Colts wide receiver is set to return to practice Wednesday. This will start his 21-day IR-return clock.
The Colts placed Hilton on IR before Week 1, and he underwent surgery after suffering a neck injury in practice. Hilton will be eligible to play Sunday against the Texans. While the Colts could slow-play his return, they are 1-4 and need as many weapons as possible in the near future.
After seriously considering signing with the Ravens, Hilton returned to the Colts on a third contract this offseason. He ranks third in franchise history in receiving yards, having passed Hall of Famer Raymond Berry late last season. The Colts have seen second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr. make strides to start his second season, but Hilton coming back would certainly be a boon for their passing attack.
Beyond Pittman, who leads the team by a wide margin with 368 receiving yards, the Colts have seen Zach Pascal emerge as their No. 2 wide receiver. Hilton may slot into that WR2 role, given Pittman’s early-season work. Although Hilton — a five-time 1,000-yard receiver — has not cleared 800 receiving yards in a season since 2018, he should still have some gas in the tank at age 31. Though, injuries have become a concern for the four-time Pro Bowler in recent years. After missing just two games across his first six seasons, Hilton has missed 14 since October 2018.