One month into the season and the Colts still don’t have a clear No. 2 receiver
The Indianapolis Colts entered the season in search of a No. 2 receiver and after three games, the team is still looking for one.
One of the biggest concerns for the Indianapolis Colts coming into the season was wide receiver depth after Michael Pittman Jr. Not only was Pittman the clear No. 1 wideout for Indianapolis but he’s the only proven receiver on the roster. That’s why everyone was hopeful that someone would emerge as the No. 2 receiving threat and excited to see who that someone would be. However, three games into the regular season, there’s still no clear answer.
The Colts have had training camp, the preseason, and three games for one of the young receivers to establish themselves as the second option but the only thing that’s been established is more concern for the group. It’s been very evident that outside of Michael Pittman Jr., this is an extremely inconsistent group.
In Week 1, second-round draft pick Alec Pierce had a debut to forget after dropping multiple passes. However, he did bounce back in Week 3 with three receptions for 61 yards, including a big catch where he went up over a defender to snag the football. Many thought either Pierce or Parris Campbell would be the No. 2 guy.
Alec Pierce flashed today with this incredible catch in traffic being the biggest highlight for the rookie.
— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) September 25, 2022
Pierce has all the skill to be a legit weapon for Indy.#Colts #ForTheShoe
pic.twitter.com/SWJ58BPph7
In what’s a make-or-break season for Campbell, he has been unjustly quiet to start the season, playing in all three games but catching just five passes for 47 yards. If he wants a future in Indy or the NFL in general, he’s going to have to pick things up tremendously.
Statistically, the No. 2 receiver for the Colts has been Ashton Dulin. Everyone expected Dulin to have increased offensive production this year but it wasn’t expected that his nine catches and 132 yards would be the second-most for Indy after three games. Trailing him is Nyheim Hines with 15 receptions for 110 yards.
Colts need a consistent second receiver
If Indy’s offense is going to develop into a unit that can score a lot of points, it will need some consistency from receivers other than Pittman. The offense is also going to need good pass protection as well but Matt Ryan needs reliable guys he can throw the ball to when he does have time.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, Pierce is likely to emerge as the No. 2 threat. His performance against the Chiefs displayed the talent that the Colts were intrigued by when they drafted him. He’ll have to stack together more performances like that so that his role in the offense is established.
It’s also possible that no guy steps up to be the No. 2 guy and Indy just takes a committee approach. That’s how it worked in Week 1 when Matt Ryan threw for 352 yards. Pittman had 121 of the yards and the rest of the yardage was divvied up between seven other pass-catchers, with four of those guys having more than 30 receiving yards. If that’s the approach Indianapolis is going to take, these receivers need to be prepared for whenever it’s their time to step up and make a play.
