Colts Place Alec Pierce, C.J. Allen On PUP

Wide receiver Alec Pierce was on the verge of reaching free agency in March, but the Colts kept him off the market with a four-year, $114MM offer. Pierce is their clear-cut No. 1 wideout going into 2026, but he will not be available to start training camp. The Colts have placed Pierce and linebacker C.J. Allen on the active/physically unable to perform list, per a team announcement.

Pierce, who underwent left ankle surgery in March, suggested last month that he would likely miss some time in camp. That will indeed be the case, and the Colts will also go without Allen when they begin practice Wednesday. The rookie second-round pick is dealing with a calf injury, but it is not expected to be a long-term issue, according to Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star.

Pierce, a second-rounder in 2022, did not reach 50 catches in any of his first four seasons. However, the 6-foot-3, 211-pounder established himself as a premier deep threat during the back half of his rookie contract. Pierce led the league in yards per catch in both 2024 (22.3) and ’25 (21.3), and he hit the 1,000-yard mark for the first time last year. After Pierce hauled in 47 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games, he was set to encounter a robust market in free agency. Several teams showed interest, but the Colts locked him up right as the legal tampering period opened on March 9.

Shortly after the Colts re-signed Pierce, they traded fellow starting receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers in a late-round pick swap. Pittman put up his fourth 80-catch season in 2025, but the Colts did little to replace the six-year veteran. With Pierce temporarily unavailable and Pittman gone, the Colts will commence camp with Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Laquon Treadwell and seventh-round rookie Deion Burks as their top five receivers. It’s a shaky group, which explains why the Colts were mulling a receiver addition several weeks ago. Nothing has materialized, but Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen and Deebo Samuel are among potential upgrades still available in free agency.

The Colts gave up this year’s first-rounder when they acquired cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets before last November’s trade deadline. As a result, they had to wait to pick until No. 53 overall, where they took Allen. If healthy, the 2025 All-American should be an immediate middle linebacker starter in Indianapolis, which traded Zaire Franklin to the Packers and have not brought back the still-unsigned Germaine Pratt. Along with Allen, the Colts added Akeem Davis-Gaither on a one-year, $2.73MM pact and spent a fourth-rounder on former Oregon Duck Bryce Boettcher.

Both Pierce and Allen have until Aug. 30 to receive medical clearance and come off the PUP list. Otherwise, it would mean shifting to reserve/PUP and automatically missing the first four games of the regular season.