The Colts tried to add a playmaker this season for Andrew Luck and give the receiving corp some depth. How well did the addition of Aiken go?
Kamar Aiken was brought in from Baltimore in the off-season. He had a track record of middling success, but he did almost have 1000 yards receiving in 2015. He was brought in as a possession receiver to try to help the offense.
What ended up happening was a disaster. Aiken provided virtually no help for the Colts offense. He only tallied 15 catches all year long, and didn’t have a single touchdown. He was targeted 44 times, which gives him a catch percentage of a paltry 34.1 %.
Aiken had drops all season long. By the end of the year, he was seldom on the field unless someone was hurt. He added very little value to the offense, and actually hurt the Colts because defenses didn’t consider him a threat.
Final Grade
Aiken wasn’t helped by the fact that it was Jacoby Brissett throwing him the ball all season. The Colts hoped Aiken could be a good third receiver behind T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. But he quickly proved to Brissett that he couldn’t be trusted.
Aiken also wasn’t much of a run blocker. He couldn’t keep cornerbacks engaged when the Colts tried to bounce runs to the outside. This is one of the reasons he stopped seeing the field later in the season.
Next: Colts 2017 Free Agent Grades: Margus Hunt
As far as the off-season acquisitions go, it’s hard to find a worse pick up than Aiken. The good news for Indianapolis is that they only signed him to a 1 year deal. I would expect the Colts to not re-sign him, and let him try to find a spot on another team.