What It Means:

The worst part of this is that there's still no timetable for his return, but Mathis is certain he'll be ready for the team's Week 1 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

Our projections peg Mathis for 78 tackles and 5 sacks this season. Last year, the Colts ranked 16th in the NFL in schedule-adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points per play, which compares a team to expectation-level performance. Mathis could help make them more than just an average defense, even at 34 years old.