Colts: Michael Pittman changed his jersey number and it feels right

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. changed his jersey number and we love everything about it.

There are sizable expectations for Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., and understandably so, as he was taken with their first pick (No. 34 overall) of the 2020 Draft.

Throughout training camp, Pittman has received nothing but glowing reviews from the coaching staff, which has raved about his imposing frame (6-foot-4 and 223 pounds). That has made him stand out among the rest of Indianapolis’ wideouts, none of whom are as tall and gifted in the air as he is.

What else has made the 22-year-old easy to spot at practice has been his No. 86 jersey. As we know, most NFL teams have their respective receiving corps don numbers in 80s, which is pretty standard.

The Colts, however, are unique in that their wideouts sport numbers in the 11-19 range. Because of this, Pittman has admirably decided to follow the lead of his teammates with the start of the season just five days away, as he took to social media on Monday to confirm his new No.11 jersey and an apparent “promotion” on the verge of battle in 2020.

We are totally on board with this change. Professionalism means everything in today’s NFL and there’s no denying that it would have been weird to see Pittman rocking a jersey number that’s been designated — as far as the Colts are concerned — for the tight end position.

It’s going to be so much more pleasing to the eye watching the second-round pick run routes with a number that isn’t drastically different from fellow starting WRs TY Hilton (No. 13), Parris Campbell (No. 15) and Zach Pascal (No. 14).

We’re obviously not saying that it was required for Pittman to swap his jersey number — it was hardly a story during training camp — but his decision to do so just speaks volumes to his professionalism and respect for the Colts franchise.

It’s not surprising, but it looks like we can add the former Trojan to the list of gems that general manager Chris Ballard has found in the second round of the draft in recent seasons. Pittman has simply checked all of the boxes thus far.