5 months after surgery, Andrew Luck still not throwing

INDIANAPOLIS – Seven weeks shy of the first day of training camp, the Indianapolis Colts' $140 million franchise quarterback is still not throwing the football.

Coach Chuck Pagano offered a brief, if vague, update on Andrew Luck’s status Wednesday, acknowledging the highest-paid player in football has yet to resume throwing after undergoing right shoulder surgery in early January. Luck has been highly visible recently during organized team activities, coaching the quarterbacks through drills and instructing the receivers on routes and timing.

What he hasn’t done is participate.

And that’s to be expected. Luck’s recovery from surgery on a partially torn labrum in that throwing shoulder is expected to require anywhere from six to nine months of rehabilitation. He’s nearly five months in. And since the Colts have resisted divulging any updates on his status, he’ll remain a question mark heading into training camp in late July, with no guarantee he participates at the start.

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Luck has missed the entirety of the team’s OTAs this spring and will miss next week’s veteran minicamp.

The Colts’ decision-makers have said time and again they will, under no circumstances, rush him back before he’s 100 percent ready.

“I’m not a doctor,” Pagano said Wednesday. “We’re just following the protocol. He’s going through rehab, listening to the trainers, listening to himself, and staying the course and staying the process.”

Luck was “starting to get good motion in his arm” as recently as late April, according to General Manager Chris Ballard.

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With Luck watching intently, backup Scott Tolzien has received the bulk of the first-team reps. The team is not expected to delve into the open market and add an additional quarterback — even if Luck suffers a setback. Behind Tolzien, Stephen Morris is back for what could be his third season with the Colts, and the coaches have been effusive in their praise of rookie newcomer Phillip Walker out of Temple.

“I think we’re OK right now,” Pagano said of the quarterback situation. “As you know, the roster mechanics are 365 (days a year) in all spots. If we feel like there’s a need at that spot, or any other spot, we’ll talk about it ... we feel good where we’re at.”

Call IndyStar reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134. Follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.