T.Y. Hilton's hamstring 'felt better than I expected' as he eyes possible Sunday return

Joel A. Erickson | IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS — T.Y. Hilton wasn’t sure how his body would respond when he took the field for practice on Wednesday.

Hamstring injuries can be tough to gauge.

So Hilton was pleasantly surprised when his leg allowed him to be a full participant on Wednesday, offering some optimism that Andrew Luck will have his best receiver at his disposal when the Colts host the Buffalo Bills this week.

“It felt better than I expected,” Hilton said.

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Hilton was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice due to his chest/hamstring injury, though that wasn't a surprise after Wednesday's workout.

How his leg feels after he gets going determines how much Hilton is able to do.

“With a hamstring, it’s always tricky, because you might feel good, and then you’re not really good, so you might want to take another week,” Hilton said. “I feel good. My body feels good.”

As difficult to predict as hamstring injuries can be, Hilton is confident that testing out the injury in practice will not hurt his chances to return, both on Sunday against Buffalo and long-term.

“As long as I’m feeling good, I’ll keep doing it,” Hilton said. “There’s no need to rush it. We don’t play ‘til Sunday, so I’ll go out there, get a little conditioning in, see where I’m at.”

Indianapolis is more than willing to let its top weapon on offense figure out how much his hamstring has healed as the week progresses.

As banged up as the Colts are at the receiver position, Indianapolis signed veteran Dontrelle Inman this week and has Reece Fountain, K.J. Brent and Steve Ishmael on the practice squad, so the Colts can afford to wait to see how Hilton feels before making any roster decisions for Sunday’s game.

“That’s why we have the luxury of waiting and seeing how it plays out, to be able to make that decision later in the week,” Colts coach Frank Reich said.

A healthy and active Hilton would obviously be a huge development for a beleaguered wide receiving corps that has struggled with drops. In addition to Marcus Johnson, the Colts lost veteran Ryan Grant to an ankle injury on Sunday against the Jets, and Grant did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

Hilton’s philosophy on addressing the drops mirrors the thoughts of Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, who said on Tuesday that he believes most receivers are well aware of how bad the mistake is when a ball hits their hands and ends up on the turf.

“What’s understood ain’t gotta be talked about,” Hilton said. “They know. Just catch the ball. Just focus.”

But drops and injuries have not been the deciding factor in Hilton’s push to get back on the field this week.

Hilton’s hamstring feels good, and if his body will allow him to play, Hilton is going to be on the field. The two games the veteran receiver has missed due to his chest and hamstring injuries is as many as he missed in his first six years in Indianapolis, and

“I just hate being out, period,” Hilton said. “We need a win, so I’ve got to be out there.”

Defensive lineman Denico Autry, tight ends Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope (limited Wednesday), safety Clayton Geathers (full Wednesday) and running back Robert Turbin were out in addition to Grant. Offensive lineman Denzelle Good and defensive tackle Margus Hunt were full participants for the second consecutive day.