Despite the many questions that were asked about the unit this offseason, the Indianapolis Colts stuck to their belief in the current status of the wide receiver room entering the 2022 season.
While Michael Pittman Jr. enjoyed a strong breakout campaign and is looking for more in Year 3, there are several question marks behind him in the room.
Whether that’s due to injuries or a lack of experience, many wonder if his room will be a strength or a weakness in 2022.
Pro Football Focus wondered the same when they ranked the Colts wide receiver corps 25th in the NFL and in the tier labeled “Could be a strength or weakness.”
Michael Pittman Jr. quietly had a very impressive second season out of USC for the Colts in 2021, improving his PFF receiving grade from 62.3 as a rookie to 79.9 last year. He’s an impressive route-runner, especially for his size, and excelled in contested-catch situations (18 of 28) last year. Matt Ryan’s effectiveness throwing between the numbers and targeting the intermediate range should only help Pittman next season.
The rest of Indianapolis’ receiving corps has a lot of question marks. Rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce should help stretch the field, and the Colts are hoping to finally get a healthy season out of Parris Campbell. It projects to be a physically imposing group, if nothing else.
Pierce and Campbell are locked into the two spots behind Pittman Jr. in the room. The order of targets between them remains to be seen but we should expect Pierce to work as the Z receiver while Campbell will likely take most of his snaps from the slot.
Behind them, the room is wide open. The fourth spot is up for grabs likely between Ashton Dulin and Dezmon Patmon, both of which are coming off of strong showings this spring.
The Colts also have Keke Coutee fighting for a role while second-year wideout Mike Strachan missed much of the spring due to an undisclosed injury.
There is still the chance they add a veteran to the room after getting a better look during OTAs and minicamp, but this unit will have a lot to prove in 2022.
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