The Indianapolis Colts seem unsettled at wide receiver. Losing Michael Pittman Jr. was a big blow, but they looked comfortable with the remainder of the WR corps. Fast forward to today, and that might not be the case.
The Colts continue to work out pass catchers, and while some of that might also have to do with Alec Pierce's injury, the question remains: Who'll pick up the slack and step up for the Colts after Pittman's departure?
It might be a bit early to tell, but the first returns from training camp suggest that Nick Westbrook-Ikhine might be in a strong position to be the next man up. That would certainly change the whole picture for Shane Steichen's offense.
The Indianapolis Colts need Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Westbrook-Ikhine didn't make a ton of noise in spring workouts and was even a potential cut candidate, but the arrow is trending up now. He made the rounds and showcased his sturdy frame by coming down with an underthrown jump ball on Friday that explained just why the Colts went after him this offseason.
While he's never been much of a contributor to the offense and he's made most of his contributions on special teams, he's a big-bodied guy who, on paper, can man-handle and bully his way down the field as a prototypical possession receiver.
Reports coming out of training camp state that he's been one of the most steady pass catchers in the past couple of days. He's never been used like an every-down type of guy, but he's building strong chemistry with Daniel Jones, and that's all that matters.
Of course, the Colts' passing game will still most likely run through Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Tyler Warren. Also, Jonathan Taylor will continue to do most of the heavy lifting as the primary focus of the offense.
Still, there's no such thing as having too many playmakers. And at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, Westbrook-Ikhine gives them a physical mismatch to lean on in crucial situations; he's big enough to make Daniel Jones look good in contested-catch scenarios, just like he showed in practice.
Whether he'll make a big enough impact to get himself another deal or finally get a big role in the offense remains to be seen. Also, he needs to keep this up for the remainder of training camp. For now, however, he looks like the front-runner to line up opposite Pierce and be out there in three-wide receiver sets.
Expecting him to catch roughly 80 passes for 800-ish yards like Pittman did last season might be unrealistic. Still, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see him be a major factor in the red zone, given his big frame, leaping ability, and steady hands.
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