The Indianapolis Colts really need someone in their wide receiver room to step up this year and help whomever is playing quarterback. They don’t have that high-end No. 1 guy, but they do have some capable talent. Alec Pierce is one of those guys.
Pierce had another good day of training camp on Saturday as he “made plays all over the field,” according to Andrew Moore of Sports Illustrated.
“While known for getting behind the defense, Pierce did his damage on crossing routes as he diced up the Colts’ secondary for two touchdowns,” Moore writes. “Indy focused on red zone periods for the majority of Saturday’s practice.”
That’s always good news. Right now, rookie tight end Tyler Warren is probably expected to be the biggest shot in the arm to the Colts’ offense this year, but they’ll still need significant contributions from wideouts like Pierce.
“It’s just a day-by-day process,” Pierce said. “It’s great getting different looks from the defense this year, a lot more man coverage. Kind of gives you a lot of opportunities to work. Basically, every play is a one-on-one opportunity. So, (you) really get to work on your route running and your craft. So, yeah, it’s definitely going to be a lot of good work this camp, just receivers versus DBs and stuff, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity to get better.”
Coaches are excited by Pierce’s potential
Head coach Shane Steichen has a huge interest in guys like Pierce stepping up and making plays for this offense. After all, he’ll be one of the first heads to roll (along with general manager Chris Ballard) if they have another disaster of an 8-9 season.
Outside of quarterback play, he has to be excited about the new-look offense, which includes an increased role for Pierce.
“He just keeps making strides,” Steichen said. “Last year was a helluva year for him. He carried it over to the offseason and spring and then he’s continued it in training camp. An explosive player that’s got tons of ability that’s making a lot of plays for us.”
Pierce didn’t catch a ton of balls in 2024. He hauled in 37 passes for 824 and seven touchdowns, which is great considering he led the NFL with a whopping 22.3 yards per catch. Re-read those stats. Think they should consider forcing him the ball more? That’s a lot of productivity out of 37 catches.
Pierce is listening to former Colts’ wide receiver Reggie Wayne
If you’re going to get advice on how to play the wide receiver position in the NFL, it’s probably smart to listen to Reggie Wayne. Now the WR’s coach in Indianapolis, Wayne was brilliant when it came to his understanding of the nuances of the position. He’s been there, done that.
“I like to find (Wayne) and just get a little advice on the play that already happened or that’s going to happen,” Pierce said. “He might come to me with, ‘Hey, we’ve got this play coming up here, we’re kind of anticipating this look. You might want to try this.’ We’ve kind of been getting into the fine details of route running and stuff like that.”
All that said, the Colts still want him to take the tops off of defenses. The route-running details will make Pierce a more complete and refined receiver for sure, but they still need the big plays right now.
“You know, what’s been great about him is the one-on-one’s on the outside, just winning those routes,” Steichen continued . “Whether it’s running a seven cut or a one-on-one stop route, he’s getting explosive at the top of the route, using his hands, getting the defenders off. So, he’s making those steps too which is awesome.”
