Colts' final WR spot battle may be decided somewhere else entirely

The wide receiver position has triggered much speculation and conversation this offseason, making it one of the Indianapolis Colts' more concerning position groups. While they have Alec Pierce as the primary No. 1 target and Josh Downs as the No. 2, those players' lack of track record and experience at their current positions has raised questions. 

Pierce's contract is another topic of debate, but as for the Colts' wide receiver room and its players today, track record and depth are significant concerns all around. Setting aside Pierce and Downs, as they are locked in their positions, everyone after them is now, especially at the third wideout spot. 

Longtime Colts veteran Ashton Dulin is in the heat of a battle for that third spot with another NFL veteran, Laquan Treadwell, as well as Anthony Gould, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Coleman Owen, and the Colts' final draft pick this summer, Deion Burks. Who wins the WR3 spot is still up for grabs, but furthermore, who lands the Colts' final wideout spot may not come down to that position at all. 

The Indianapolis Colts' final WR spot could come down to who the better special teams player is

Dulin, Treadwell, Gould, Westbrook-Ikhine, Owen, and Burks—one of them will land the third spot on the Colts' wide receiver depth chart. Dulin should have the edge over everyone given his years of experience with the Colts, and Westbrook-Ikhine's similarly long NFL experience is also in his favor. So what about the rest? Who gets the final spot, and who gets left out?

If Dulin wins the job at No. 3, it would be surprising not to see Treadwell and Westbrook-Ikhine nab spots four and five. After that, it's much more of a toss-up. With his two years of experience mostly as a kick returner (he's listed as a wide receiver), Gould has the edge over the remaining players in competition, Owen and Burks. 

With the final two or three wide receivers also utilized as kick returners on most NFL teams, the Colts' final receiver spot might come down to who emerges as the better kick returner over the course of the remaining preseason and training camp.

This puts the battle between Gould, Owen, and Burks under even more pressure because all three are essentially battling for two positions, but only a win at one will secure both. 

Gould's experience is his advantage, which likely secures his spot as one of the Colts' bottom wideouts. After him, it's between Burks and Owen, and whoever beats the other out as a kick returner.  

Of course, if Gould drops the ball, he could get overpassed by someone. In any case, the rights to the final wide receiver spot on the Colts roster might have nothing to do with playing wide receiver, but with who the better kick returner is. 

For Burks, this could work in his favor. He might not make the Colts' final 53-man roster at wide receiver, but he could make it on special teams as a returner. If he performs well there and outperforms someone like Owen or even Gould with what’s left of the offseason, Burks might avoid being cut. 

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