Colts: 3 offensive players Philip Rivers will turn into stars

Here are three offensive players Colts QB Philip Rivers will turn into stars.

As imposing as the Indianapolis Colts’ running game was last season– they ranked seventh in the NFL with 133.1 yards per game and fifth with 471 total attempts — their offense was incredibly unbalanced.

Though the absence of TY Hilton, who was sidelined for six games with calf and hamstring injuries, certainly didn’t help matters, fans would admit that Indianapolis was a one-trick pony in 2019. If the team didn’t establish the run, it would struggle to remain competitive in games.

That isn’t a knock on Jacoby Brissett, either. While the former third-round pick is a fine quarterback, he’s no Andrew Luck, whose brilliance really masked some glaring deficiencies on that side of the ball for Indianapolis before his retirement.

Luckily for the Colts, the quarterback position doesn’t appear to be an issue for the upcoming campaign as they signed Philip Rivers in free agency. The eight-time Pro Bowler’s experience will be invaluable on an otherwise young offense, and he really figures to take the group to new heights in 2020.

In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if Rivers takes some of Indianapolis’ talented weapons under his wing and terms them into stars on the gridiron. Here are the first three that come to mind.

3. Jonathan Taylor

Let’s start by saying that we thought long and hard about including Nyheim Hines here, but we didn’t pull the trigger. There’s no denying that the pass-catching specialist will be essential to the Colts offense, but we’re not sure if he’ll have a big enough workload to enter the star conversation.

That’s where Jonathan Taylor comes into play. It won’t be easy for the Wisconsin product to supplant Marlon Mack, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, as the starter, but Indianapolis obviously has big plans for him as a rookie.

The way we see it, Taylor holds the edge on Mack as a receiver out of the backfield. The Badgers didn’t champion throwing the football and that’s why the 21-year-old running back’s ability as a pass catcher has always been the most underrated aspect of his game. Don’t be surprised if Rivers falls in love with targeting Taylor on check-down throws when faced with pressure. This would really propel the second-round pick’s ascension to NFL stardom.

2. Michael Pittman Jr.

Wide receivers don’t always burst onto the scene as rookies, but we fully believe that Michael Pittman Jr. will turn that narrative on its head this campaign. The latest buzz out of Colts camp suggests the former USC star is lining up as the start opposite Hilton in two wideout sets.

Just think of the magnitude of targets Pittman will receive if opposing defenses focus most of their attention on the four-time Pro Bowler, who is now healthy and cleared for liftoff entering a contract year. Call us crazy, but Indianapolis’ earliest selection in the 2020 Draft could give Hilton a run for his money in terms of becoming the team’s leading receiver.

At 6-foot-4, Pittman offers Rivers something the 5-foot-10 Hilton doesn’t, and that is height in the red zone. In our eyes, six or seven touchdowns in Year 1 is very much in the cards for the 22-year-old wideout.

This team has a need for wideout options long-term; after all, Hilton’s return is no certainty, no matter how much he wants to end his career in Indianapolis. Luckily, the Colts didn’t have to splurge and trade up to get a high-impact talent in this impressively deep receiver class, and Pittman fell right into their lap.

Rivers is ready for him.

1. Parris Campbell

The comeback narrative surrounding Parris Campbell is ridiculously appealing this season, and we are absolutely here for it. The 2019 second-round pick out of Ohio State never hit the ground running as a rookie last year, as a broken foot and strained hamstring limited him to just seven games (three starts).

As we expected from Campbell, he showed up to camp healthy and motivated to prove his doubters wrong as an NFL sophomore. It’s clear the former Buckeye was grinding this offseason, and the results are showing.

Year 1 in the league was tough for a kid ascribed high expectations based on his collegiate performance. One touchdown, 18 receptions, a sports hernia, and a broken hand is not going to cut it for someone of his pedigree — and, not to mention, someone who has heard all the talk about Pittman’s size advantage.

Campbell has received numerous glowing reviews from teammates and the Colts coaching staff, one of which came from none other than Rivers, who is clearly loving what he’s seeing so far. Expect the 23-year-old wideout and his game-breaking speed to become one of the veteran gunslinger’s favorite targets in 2020.