Better late than never: The Indianapolis Colts finally addressed their wide receiver corps, and they did it with a bang — sort of. After months of speculation, they signed Keenan Allen to a one-year deal worth up to $8.2 million.
While 34-year-old Allen might not move the needle as much as the fans would hope, he was — by far — the biggest fish still available in free agency, and he'll reunite with former Chargers assistant coach Shane Steichen.
Barring a surprise, Allen will be WR3 in the Colts' pecking order, which should be good news for the passing game, but not so much for two training camp standouts: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Ashton Dulin.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver hopefuls may not appreciate Keenan Allen's arrival
The Colts signed Westbrook-Ikhine this offseason, and the big-bodied special teamer drew rave reviews in training camp. He has never been much of a factor on offense, but he has similar physical tools to Michael Pittman Jr., and he has reportedly used his big frame and physicality to dominate in practice.
As for Dulin, he was one of the biggest winners of spring workouts, often stepping up as the team's WR3 and showcasing his twitchiness and acceleration as a potential big-play specialist. Like Westbrook-Ikhine, he's also been relegated to special team duties for most of his career, and with Allen in town, that may continue to be the case.
This is a cruel business, and it's just the way it goes. That doesn't mean their hard work in camp will go unnoticed, and they should both still make the roster. Also, it's up to them to show that they should be ahead of a 34-year-old veteran in the pecking order.
That said, even this version of Keenan Allen is better than the average wide receiver. He's coming off hauling in 81 receptions for 777 yards and four touchdowns. He was also extremely reliable on third down, grabbing 34 passes and securing 29 first downs in those situations.
Allen will look to add to his borderline Hall-of-Fame career in Indianapolis. He's got the 13th-most receptions in NFL history (1,055) to go along with 12,051 receiving yards, 70 touchdowns, and six Pro Bowl nods.
On top of that, he's done pretty well in his career vs. the AFC South, logging 136 catches for 1,697 yards and 9 touchdowns in 22 career games vs. his new division. That's good for 77.1 receiving yards per game.
The Colts' passing game should still run through Alec Pierce when he's back to full strength, but he's still nursing an injured ankle and has no timetable for his return. Josh Downs, who's entering a contract year, has done most of the heavy lifting in training camp, with Tyler Warren also looking poised for a breakout year.
This team needed to replace one of its top offensive contributors, and Allen's arrival will significantly raise the floor and level of competition in the locker room. Will the odd men out step up? The ball's on their court now.
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