Colts Possess Ultra-Talented Weapons Group

Pittman has been the go-to receiver for Indy despite playing with a whopping eight QBs over five seasons. However, last year was rough, as Pittman played through a brutal back fracture that limited his movement.

Pittman still ranked second on the team in catches (69) and receiving yards (808), showing his toughness and pure leadership on the field. Expect the former USC Trojan to get back to square one once he's 100 percent.

Josh Downs

Downs is a pure operator at receiver, possessing unique capabilities to win short, intermediate, and deep. But, his bread and butter is through the slot. While Pittman was second in catches, Downs led the squad with 72 and notched five scores.

Downs has 'year three breakout' written all over him. The former Tarheel is poised to build upon another solid season and can add even more to Shane Steichen's offense if the quarterback who's next up can play consistent football.

Alec Pierce

The Colts saw Pierce rise to the occasion after drafting Adonai Mitchell to push the deep threat to play his best football. That became a huge reality while Mitchell looked rough in year one. Pierce led the NFL in receiving yards per catch with 22.3 and looked incredible down the field.

Pierce only snagged 37 passes, but for a team-leading 824 receiving yards and seven scores through the air. Also, 32 of his 37 catches were for first downs (86.5 percent), showing that Pierce is as 'big play' as it gets. However, Pierce's 2025 might hinge on who starts as the field general.

Next is the tight end position, now dominated by rookie Tyler Warren despite not taking a single NFL snap.

Tyler Warren

Warren immediately slots in as the starting tight end for Indianapolis. While the room possesses veteran Mo Alie-Cox and the ultra-fast Will Mallory, neither looked good last year, prompting Indianapolis to take the Penn State star.

Warren won the Mackey Award in 2024 and grabbed an incredible 104 passes for 1,233 receiving yards and 12 all-purpose TDs. Warren must prove himself in the pros, and the Colts won't operate through him like Penn State did, but he'll see plenty of action as a safety blanket for the next QB.

Lastly is running back Jonathan Taylor, who dominated the carries for Indianapolis last year and led the team through a rocky quarterback situation.

Jonathan Taylor

Taylor returned to form after falling under 1,000 rushing yards in 2022 and 2023. Taylor carried the pigskin 303 times over 14 games for 1,431 rushing yards and 11 scores on the ground. The last five games stand out, as Taylor took on 142 carries for 723 rushing yards and seven all-purpose TDs.

Taylor must get some help, and Indy knew that, signing Khalil Herbert and drafting DJ Giddens to join him in the backfield. While the Colts will utilize these rotational/depth pieces, Taylor is still the man at running back, and the offense will go through him until further notice.

The Bottom Line

The Colts have a great collection of offensive weapons to deploy on the field in Steichen's important third year as head coach. While the starting QB will affect how they perform individually, and as a group, it also means neither Richardson or Jones have any further excuses to fail.

We'll see how this plays out, but the Colts haven't had this kind of offensive talent in some time. They must utilize it to the highest degree to push for and win their division while making the playoffs.

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