In a flurry of free agent and draft acquisitions going back to April, the Indianapolis Colts picked up depth pieces at several positions, mainly on defense. On offense, however, aside from re-signing Alec Pierce, extending Daniel Jones, and drafting Deion Burks, the Colts have been rather quiet regarding skill positions.Â
Once free agency died down and the draft passed, it looked as if the Colts were comfortable with what they had at wide receiver, until now, perhaps. According to one ESPN NFL insider, Indianapolis may not be done in their wide receiver search after all.Â
Given the Colts' cap space situation, they have more than enough room and reason to sign another target for Jones next season. Whoever Colts general manager Chris Ballard may have in mind, an experienced wideout could be significantly beneficial for a group of players that collectively have unproven track records.Â
ESPN's Stephen Holder is bringing the Indianapolis Colts' wide receiver needs back to the light
As far as track records go, Pierce has the longest, but it's still unproven, considering he really only emerged as a dependable pass catcher during the 2024 season, which eventually led the Colts to give him the job as the No. 1 option and trade away Michael Pittman Jr.Â
Pierce has only one 1,000-yard season, which was last year. Clearly, the Colts trust him to take the ball and run with it, but the team collectively lacks experience and consistency at the wide receiver position. After Pierce, Josh Downs is expected to take the No. 2 spot, but his primary role in Indianapolis has been lining up in the slot, more often than the outside.Â
Unless the Colts want Downs to shift to the outside and play less at the slot position, this opens the door for a need on offense. Currently, six-year Colts veteran Ashton Dulin and other six-year veteran Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are jostling for the No. 3 spot. Then it's Laquon Treadwell and Burks following them up.Â
There is a strong argument for the Colts going out and signing another wideout. According to NFL insider Stephen Holder, who is currently covering the Colts during their mini-camps this week, he recently hinted that the team may still be searching for another addition.
"The Colts are still mulling a potential roster move at receiver," Holder wrote following Thursday's minicamp practice.
The bigger question is: whose still available? And are they attractive enough targets that could help the Colts' offense? As it stands, veterans like Keenan Allen and Deebo Samuel, whom Holder also mentioned, are available.
Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyreek Hill also remained unsigned, but the Colts haven't been linked to any of these names, so if a move did come up, it would be a bit of a surprise.
It was only two weeks ago that Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter stated that there was a level of comfort going into next season with a collective effort among the Colts' wideouts. That would likely mean Pierce and Downs would get the bulk of the targets, while Dulin, Westbrook-Ikhine, Treadwell, and Burks share the remaining load.Â
Indianapolis doesn't boast the most intimidating offense in the NFL by any means. That said, there is something to the start of last season, and more specifically, the first 11 games of the season, where Jones was one of the league leaders in quarterback play, and the Colts were winning games.
Perhaps a group effort is something the Colts can get by on. That said, adding a veteran presence is never a bad move, either.Â
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