Indianapolis Colts wide receiver, Zach Pascal, is set to enter free agency this offseason.
In 2017, Zach Pascal went undrafted and bounced through the Washington Football Team and Tennessee Titans in his first year in the NFL.
After being cut by Tennessee, Pascal was claimed on waivers by the Indianapolis Colts, and that is when he begin to blossom as an NFL receiver.
Pascal went from fighting for a roster spot to becoming a starting receiver and one of the Colts’ top contributors in the passing game over the last three seasons.
In his four years with Indianapolis, Pascal has caught 150 passes for 1,888 yards, and 15 touchdowns.
With the Colts season over, Pascal is now set to enter free agency. He has shown enough over the past few years to garner interest from teams throughout the league. Here are 5 potential landing spots for Pascal.
Zach Pascal could leave Colts for Bears
The Chicago Bears are a team ready to turn the page to a new era. In the draft, they selected quarterback Justin Fields, and Chicago just recently fired Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace.
The Bears will soon hire a new coach and general manager, and one of their first goals will be surrounding their young quarterback with talent.
The only active receiver that is under contract next season for Chicago is Darnell Mooney. The other receivers are veterans who are set to hit the market. The biggest name is Allen Robinson and all signs point to him leaving.
Zach Pascal LOST HIM with the route ‼️ @ZachPascal6 @Colts pic.twitter.com/joXjTcKAil
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 4, 2020
While Pascal isn’t the No. 1 receiver a franchise would hope to pair with a young quarterback, he is a dependable veteran that has routinely produced.
The Bears could sign Pascal to give Fields some type of a receiving unit, while they also work to see if they can land a bigger name.
Zach Pascal could leave Colts for Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have had a ton of weapons over the past few seasons, but they have struggled to keep them in Atlanta.
Julio Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans, and now it is being reported that Calvin Ridley wants to move on from the team.
The Falcons do have rookie tight end, Kyle Pitts, and the versatile Cordarrelle Patterson, but targets like Russell Gage and Tajae Sharpe will be heading to free agency.
This season has shown that Atlanta’s offense will be built around Pitts and Patterson, so it’s unlikely that the Falcons will go after the biggest receiving targets.
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They also may have trouble recruiting the top receivers on the market considering both Jones and Ridley have asked to be traded in the last year.
That makes a player of Pascal’s caliber a great option for Atlanta. Pascal recorded over 600 yards in back-to-back seasons as a no. 2 receiver. That shows that he can offer quality production playing off of stars like Patterson and Pitts.
Zach Pascal could leave Colts for Browns
The Cleveland Browns will have a lot of questions to answer during the offseason. The question that will be asked the most is if Baker Mayfield is the team’s quarterback of the future.
Cleveland has said they are committed to Mayfield, so the next task will be continuing to build the roster around him. The Browns will still have Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones under contract for next season, but Rashard Higgins will be a free agent.
Additionally, this is a Browns team that is built around running the football. When healthy, Cleveland possesses the best backfield and one of the most dominant rushing attacks in football.
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Pascal would be the perfect receiver to replace Higgins. Pascal has slightly better production over the past few seasons and his time with the Colts has proven he’s a quality blocking receiver.
Cleveland wouldn’t need Pascal to be a no. 1 receiver, just a no. 2 or 3. He would make a ton of sense for the Browns because he will benefit both the running and passing game.
Zach Pascal could leave Colts for Texans
The Houston Texans have been struggling a lot as of late. They’ve lost multiple All-Pro players over the last two years and will soon lose another.
As a result, they haven’t done a lot of winning, going just 8-25 over the last two seasons.
However, it appears Houston may have something in rookie quarterback Davis Mills. Mills, drafted out of Stanford in the third round, found his way into the Texans lineup after Tyrod Taylor was injured.
Mills would go on to play in 13 games, starting 11, and threw for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 66.8 completion percentage.
With the promise he’s shown, Houston should at least give him next year to see what he can do entering a camp as the starter, but the Texans will have to sign some receivers and help Mills out.
With only Brandin Cooks set to return, Pascal is a receiver that Houston knows well and should have interest in.
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In eight games against Houston, Pascal has 24 catches for 326 yards and six touchdowns, his best stats against any single opponent.
The Texans can accomplish two things by signing Pascal. They will upgrade at wide receiver and they will take him from the Colts, so he won’t be able to dominate them twice a year.
Zach Pascal could return to the Colts
While Pascal is in position to explore the market and move on, it’s also possible that he remains with Indy and continues his development.
The only contributing receiver that Indianapolis has under contract for next year is Michael Pittman Jr. In addition to Pascal, TY Hilton is a free agent and considering retirement, and Ashton Dulin is a restricted free agent.
There’s also Parris Campbell, who missed the majority of this season, but he has a year left on his contract.
Wide receiver is a position that the Colts need to upgrade at, so it’s likely that they make a run at high-profile receivers, but that doesn’t make a Pascal return impossible.
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All of Pascal’s growth has been in Indianapolis and he has played well in the system. He can return and continue that growth, and even if Indy lands a big-time no. 1 receiver, Pascal would be a great no. 3.
Free agency doesn’t officially start until March 16, so Pascal and Indianapolis will have some time to think about what direction they want to go.
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