INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ― Peyton Manning has some rare good news for the NFL’s only winless team: His ramped-up rehabilitation program includes more throwing.

Coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday that Manning has picked up his regimen, though the four-time league MVP was not scheduled to practice with his teammates Wednesday. It’s still unclear when or if Manning will return to the practice field and what the repertoire includes, though he acknowledged two weeks ago that throwing more was the next step in his recovery.

“That’s what he does,” Caldwell said when asked about throwing the ball. “They have been working with him in that area. That’s part of it, but it’s nothing revolutionary.”

Manning hasn’t played in any games this season because of a nerve injury that caused weakness in his throwing arm.

He had surgery in May, and when that didn’t alleviate the problem, Indy’s franchise quarterback had a more invasive surgery, a single-level fusion, on Sept. 8. It was Manning’s third neck surgery in 19 months.

On Dec. 1, Manning’s doctor issued a statement saying the fusion had healed firmly and Manning could increase the intensity of his workouts.

That was the best news the Colts (0-13) have had in this miserable season. On Dec. 2, Manning acknowledged that additional throwing would be the next step in his recovery. Team officials have kept Manning on the active roster, hoping he could return to practice before the Jan. 1 season finale at Jacksonville.

How much more can Manning now do?

“Once he’s fused, he’s stable to play,” said Dr. Anders Cohen, chief of neurosurgery and spine surgery at the Brooklyn Hospital Center who did not treat Manning. Asked how long it would take Manning to regain the strength in his throwing arm, Cohen said: “I would suspect it probably happened while the bone was knitting.”