For a couple of weeks now, one of the hotter topics among Indianapolis Colts camp had been at the wide receiver position.
Following the injury to Josh Downs, many wondered whether or not the Colts would pursue another wide receiver in the meantime. Obviously, the Downs injury wasn't season-ending. But, adding another receiver for depth purposes certainly seemed like a possibility, especially in order to give Anthony Richardson as much firepower in Year 2 as the team possibly could,.
On Monday, it appeared as though an intriguing trade option might have come available, and from within the division.
The Houston Texans drafted wide receiver John Metchie III in the second round, just two years ago, and he's fully healthy now after taking it easy his first season back after defeating cancer. Metchie isn't just healthy, but thriving, as evidenced by his play in the preseason.
Now, teams are starting to reach out to the Texans about Metchie's availability via trade.
Sources: Multiple teams have reached out to the #Texans to see if WR John Metchie III would be available in trade due to the plethora of receivers on their roster. It’s unclear if Houston would move him, but several team are keeping a close eye.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 26, 2024
The former 2nd-round pick out of… pic.twitter.com/2CmV2nMrbY
Houston has Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell atop their depth chart, so there wouldn't be a lot of room for Metchie to play. Although, there are likely many teams that believe Metchie could be a top-three wide receiver on their depth chart.
Could the Colts make a play for Metchie?
Trading for John Metchie might mean the Colts would have to give up on their own former second-round pick
If the Texans traded for Metchie, that would mean he'd have to come in and play right away. At least, that's what one might assume, if Metchie cost anything more than a late-round pick to acquire.
Michael Pittman Jr. is firmly the no. 1 guy, and rookie A.D. Mitchell is pushing for playing time as the team's WR2. But, Alec Pierce still sits ahead of Mitchell on the depth chart. And, while we've seen Pierce do some good things in spurts, he still hasn't broken out like the team would have hoped.
With Anthony Gould having a strong training camp, as well, the depth looks a little better than one might have thought after originally seeing Downs suffer an injury.
Trading for Metchie would give the Colts a top three of Pittman, Mitchell and Metchie, with Gould coming in next. It would seem likely that the Colts could then either cut or try and trade Pierce, if they went the route of going after Metchie.
Metchie is also more of a possession guy, where Pierce runs a variety of routes, including those deep go routes and posts. With an arm like Richardson's, the Colts still want to try and push the ball down field. So, does it make sense to trade for Metchie and cut ties with Pierce? Maybe.
Or, maybe they keep both and simply hold a plethora of talent. But in that case, someone is going to end up unhappy without much playing time.
It's an interesting thought, and Metchie could be one heck of a weapon if given the opportunity. His strength comes by way of his footwork and route running, which makes life much easier on the quarterback.
What will the Colts do at wide receiver in the coming day? We'll have to wait and see.