Another potential answer to the Indianapolis Colts wide receiver conundrum was taken off the table Wednesday when veteran Stefon Diggs reached a deal to join the Washington Commanders. As options continue to dwindle, it is becoming apparent that the best choice to help rebuild the Colts' receiving corps is Diggs' 2025 teammate in New England, Kayshon Boutte.
Each day that Alec Pierce misses in training camp makes the team’s problem at the position more dire. Assuming Pierce returns in the near future, this may not develop into a catastrophe. But when a receiver is dealing with a lower-body injury, nothing is guaranteed.
Pierce will probably be just fine this season, but whenever he does return, he will need time to get back into shape and in sync with Daniel Jones. They haven’t played together since last December.
To get meaningful help at receiver, the Indianapolis Colts will have to sacrifice something
The Colts need options, and a week into training camp, it does not appear as if any receiver currently on the roster is stepping forward. And that’s why general manager Chris Ballard should place a call to New England.
Let’s establish one thing up front. Shane Steichen is going to say all the proper things about the players he currently has. And one or more of them may seize the current opportunity and show he can be a frontline receiver in the NFL.
But the odds are not very good. Of all the players not named Alec Pierce or Josh Downs, there is not a single current Colts receiver who produced anything of note in the NFL last year. The roster is filled with unproven rookies and mid-level veterans whose best years seem to be in the past.
Could Ashton Dulin surprise people? Of course. Could Deion Burks explode as a rookie? Perhaps. Could Nick Westbrook-Ikhine rediscover the late spark he was showing in Tennessee in 2024? Maybe.
But are Ballard and Steichen willing to bank on any of those things, especially when both men have to understand their jobs may be on the line this year?
Boutte may not be a star, but he has proven to be an effective downfield threat. In the past two seasons, he has caught 76 passes for more than 1,100 yards. He has not been a high-volume receiver, but he has been productive, averaging 15 yards per catch and either scoring a touchdown or gaining a first down on 80% of those catches.
You tell me if that doesn’t sound like Alec Pierce.
As Pierce slides into Michael Pittman’s X receiver role, Kayshon Boutte is tailor-made to assume the Z role that Pierce has played so well over the past two seasons.
New England, who came up just short of a title last year, acquired both AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason. That had made Boutte expendable. There will be a price to pay – probably a day three pick. Indy currently anticipates getting at least one day three pick as compensation for losing Kwity Paye this year.
Other receivers may come more cheaply. Diggs' arrival in Washington may free up a mid-tier veteran like Dyami Brown. And a recent ESPN article proposed Buffalo Bills third-year wideout Keon Coleman as a reasonable trade target. I wouldn’t touch that one. Coleman is a big, athletic receiver who could probably be had for a late-round draft pick. But tell me if this sounds familiar.
He was drafted in the second round in 2024 but has yet to produce anything remotely in line with his talent level. In Buffalo, there have been questions about his work ethic and discipline. Could you really imagine Chris Ballard trading for what looks an awful lot like the second coming of Adonai Mitchel?
I can’t. But I can certainly see Kayshon Boutte catching deep balls from Daniel Jones. That is the move that makes sense at this point. It may be the only sensible move available if the Colts are to fix the problem they have at receiver before the start of the season.
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