Insider: Colts need to find better answers at receiver

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts might be facing an overhaul at wide receiver this offseason.

Beyond Michael Pittman Jr., who blossomed into the team’s No. 1 target, Indianapolis faces uncertainty throughout the rest of the position.  

T.Y. Hilton is contemplating retirement. Zach Pascal will be a free agent. Parris Campbell made it back into the lineup by the regular season finale, but he’s played in just 15 of a possible 49 games in his career so far. Guys such as Ashton Dulin, Dezmon Patmon and Mike Strachan are long on physical ability but short on dependable production.

For the first time since 1988, the Colts failed to produce two pass-catchers with more than 395 yards, the only team in the NFL to miss that mark in 2021. 

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But when Chris Ballard held his State of the Colts news conference last week, the Indianapolis general manager did not place as much urgency on the position as he did on spots like the defensive line, left tackle and tight end.

“Would I like to have two or three dynamic (playmakers at wideout)?” Ballard said. “Absolutely, you would, but I think we’ve got some good, young players to work with. I guess we’ll see what happens here going forward.”

Ballard has always believed in building the Colts by investing heavily in the offensive and defensive lines first, and five years into his tenure in Indianapolis, he’s done most of his work at wide receiver through the draft and low-risk, low-cost investments in free agency.

Under Ballard’s direction, Indianapolis drafted Pittman and Campbell in the second round, used a fifth-round pick on Daurice Fountain, selected Patmon and Deon Cain in the sixth round and used a seventh-round pick on Strachan last season. Forays into free agency produced Kamar Aiken, Ryan Grant and Devin Funchess, along with the key midseason acquisition of Dontrelle Inman.

Only Pittman has established himself in Indianapolis up until this point, and five years into Ballard’s tenure as general manager, the Colts’ wide receiver room is essentially at the same place it was when he started.

Pittman has fully assumed Hilton’s role as the No. 1 target, catching 88 passes for 1,082 yards this season to become the first Indianapolis receiver other than Hilton to break the 1,000-yard barrier since Reggie Wayne.

Behind him, it’s hard to project the Colts’ depth chart. With Hilton contemplating retirement — and headed into free agency again if he decides to return — Indianapolis does not have a clear No. 2 or No. 3 target, although Ballard defended the team’s depth last week, beginning with Pascal.

“Pascal’s a good football player,” Ballard said. “He had over 600 yards two years in a row.”

But Pascal’s production fell off to 38 catches for 384 yards this season, he dropped six passes and his yards per reception fell by more than four yards, and although the slip in production can partially be attributed to the change in quarterbacks, Pascal did produce a 600-yard season in 2019 with Jacoby Brissett, and he noticeably struggled as a receiver at times.

More importantly, though, the Colts have rarely gone into a season planning to make Pascal anything more than the team’s No. 4 target. Indianapolis has been hit hard by injuries to both Hilton and Campbell the past couple of seasons, elevating Pascal into a more prominent role.

Counting on either Hilton or Campbell to play a prominent role at this point seems risky, given Hilton’s potential retirement and the injuries both players have faced the past couple of seasons.

Outside of those four, the Colts are hoping that one of their lottery tickets ends up a winner.

“We’ve got some young players in Patmon, who made the big play at the end of Arizona, Dulin had his moments making some really big plays for us this year, and Michael Strachan has got really good upside,” Ballard said. “I think we’ve got good, young talent.”

In reality, none of the three have proven they can be high-volume targets in an NFL offense. Patmon and Strachan each have two career catches; Dulin flashed at times with 13 catches, 173 yards and two touchdowns in 329 snaps, but the second-team All-Pro special teamer still has only 286 yards from scrimmage in three years.

Put simply, Indianapolis needs a No. 2 and No. 3 receiver as the offseason begins.

Filling those roles has not been an easy task.

Ballard would likely prefer to draft and develop wide receivers rather than make a big investment in free agency, and there is sound reason behind that strategy.

Draft classes the past couple of seasons have been stocked deep at wide receiver, and the overwhelming majority of receivers signed in free agency have failed to live up to their contracts, making a big-money investment risky. If Campbell hadn’t been hit so hard by injuries in his first three seasons, the Colts might have a young duo they can build around.

But Indianapolis does not have a first-round pick, and it has often been difficult for rookie receivers to play a key role in the Colts’ offense.

“The one position that is hard when you come into the league is wideout,” Ballard said. “Because one, these corners are really good, and then the d-coordinators are really good at disguising the coverage, and then in our offense, the adjustments you have to make on the run.”

With that in mind, Indianapolis might have to dip its toes back into a wide receiver market that offered some potential bargains in free agency last season as the NFL largely got away from handing out massive deals at the position. Aiken, Grant and Funchess all failed to pan out in Indianapolis, but the Colts can’t afford to head into the 2022 season with Pittman trying to carry the passing game by himself again.

“In this offense, they spread the ball around,” Ballard said. “That’s been the case every year.”

For that philosophy to continue, the Colts are going to have to give Pittman more help.

No matter how they find it.