Colts must stay away from JuJu Smith-Schuster after brutal Patriots tenure ends

Just a few days ago, the Indianapolis Colts suffered a tough blow in training camp when wide receiver Josh Downs went down with a high ankle sprain.

Downs had been having a great camp to that point, and now the Colts will be without him approximately 4-6 weeks, as is the usual timetable for an injury like this one. Without Downs, now, the Colts will be depending on the "next man up," as they say.

That's the absolute truth, though, as the Colts are confident in the other receivers they have.

Still, there is always a possibility that Indianapolis could go out and sign a free agent to come in and simply give them some more depth for the time being. The market has dried up a bit, but on Friday, the New England Patriots released a recognizable name when they decided to cut ties with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

After just one season with the Patriots, Smith-Schuster's time with the team came to a close. Last season with New England, Smith-Schuster caught 29 of 47 targets for 260 yards and a touchdown.

Smith-Schuster has had his share of buzz due to his larger-than-life personality, and aside from one highly-productive season in Pittsburgh, he has not gone over 1,000 receiving yards since that magical 2018 Pro Bowl season.

Because he's on the decline, the Colts should steer clear from Smith-Schuster.

The Colts have enough talent even without pursuing JuJu Smith-Schuster

With Downs sidelined, it will be a lineup of Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and rookie Adonai "AD" Mitchell. Downs was primarily a slot guy, but the Colts have been able to play a couple of different players at that spot in the meantime.

Recently, the rookie got some run in that position and apparently, he looked comfortable playing there.

Another rookie, Anthony Gould, has had a good camp and received praise from those in attendance lately, too. He figures to take the place of either of the top three when they might need a breather.

The way the Colts have operated, keeping many of their in-house players over the offseason, it's clear they value continuity in a major fashion. There is something to be said about a team that's practiced and played together, and the Colts have a large portion of their roster that's stayed together over the past couple of seasons.

Continuing down that route, without picking up a potential distraction this late in the offseason, is the way to go. Indianapolis must avoid the temptation of even bringing Smith-Schuster in for a workout and keep steady in the direction they're heading.

The only exception to this standpoint is if the Colts were able to pull off an unforeseen trade such as bringing in Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers, but that doesn't appear too likely. The best course of action, right now, is to hold the line.