INDIANAPOLIS — Kevin Colbert readily admits Ben Roethlisberger might not be the same caliber of quarterback when he returns to the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers next season at age 38.

That doesn’t mean Colbert is anticipating Roethlisberger’s skills diminishing after the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback underwent season-ending elbow surgery in September.

Quite the opposite.

“The thing that is exciting is we might have a better Ben Roethlisberger,” Colbert said Tuesday at the NFL Combine.

What gives Colbert such confidence?

“He sat for a year, didn’t have wear and tear on his body for a year,” he said. “Sure, he had a significant surgery, but we’re optimistic he might be better.”

It was a point Colbert emphasized multiple times during his interview sessions.

“I just think the possibility is real he could be a better football player coming out of this surgery,” he said.

Roethlisberger’s surgery involved a reported reattachment of three tendons in his right elbow. It was performed by sports orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache, a Mt. Pleasant native. Roethlisberger met with ElAttrache last week in Los Angeles and was cleared to begin a throwing program.

The Steelers posted a five-second video Saturday that showed Roethlisberger effortlessly throwing a pass from inside a gymnasium. Colbert called the workout, which was attended by Steelers trainer John Norwig, “very encouraging.”

To a point.

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 22, 2020

“What we re-emphasized was we love the progress,” Colbert said, “but we don’t play until September. We’ll continue to follow the doctors. We’ll continue to encourage Ben.”

At the workout in Los Angeles, Roethlisberger bypassed throwing light objects in favor a football, a sign his timetable might be ahead of schedule. To Colbert, though, it doesn’t matter if Roethlisberger steps on the field and throws to teammates at organized team activities in May, minicamp in June or training camp in July.

“The timeline is always going to be we want to have Ben ready for game No. 1,” he said. “Whenever that is.”

An issue might not be any potential delay in Roethlisberger’s return to on-field activity. It could be in keeping him from getting back to work prematurely.

“With a guy like Ben, you have to be careful to hold him back a little bit if he maybe progresses a little too aggressively because we have to make sure he’ll be there in September,” Colbert said.

Colbert isn’t concerned that Roethlisberger’s surgery limited the quarterback’s conditioning over the past five months. In photos and videos taken of Roethlisberger in recent weeks and months, which also showed him sporting a full beard, he appeared to be heavier than he was at the start of the 2019 season.

“His physical shape is fine,” Colbert said. “In any offseason, we don’t see our players all the time — 90% of them aren’t in the building. We’ll see where they are when they come back into the legal phase of offseason program (in April).

“I never worry about a player’s physical appearance in the offseason.”

Colbert is more worried about Roethlisberger’s appetite to rebound from the worst injury of his 16-year playing career. He thinks Roethlisberger gained a renewed appreciation for football after his 2019 season was limited to six quarters.

“When you’re outside looking in and you can’t participate, I think you see it in a different light,” he said. “I think some people may say, ‘You know what, I don’t miss this,’ and walk away. Obviously, he didn’t take that approach.

“He had the surgery. He’s going to do the rehab as prescribed, and I think he’ll come back hungrier. He wants to prove that he’s not done.”

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