With the news that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman is going to miss multiple weeks with a back injury, a much larger role is coming for rookie AD Mitchell.
Pittman would miss Wednesday’s practice and following that initial injury report being released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Pittman was going to miss some time, which could include him being placed on injured reserve.
So, at receiver now for the Colts will be Josh Downs in the slot, Alec Pierce out wide–as was already the case–and it will be Mitchell opposite of Pierce.
You can see right away the explosiveness and route-running abilities that Mitchell possesses, allowing him to create separation. However, through five games, that hasn’t resulted in production.
Mitchell has been targeted 20 times on the season, catching only six of those passes at a modest 11.7 yards per catch.
In some instances, there have been off-target throws from the quarterback or the two not being on the same page. There’s also been some drops from Mitchell and some routes that haven’t been finished.
“He’s a young player who’s sort of working through running those routes–running really good routes, getting open a lot of times,” said Jim Bob Cooter about Mitchell on Tuesday. “He’s made some nice catches over the middle but we’re just sort of all working as an offense to make the most of every opportunity that we have. We will obviously coach our guys along that way.”
Mitchell began the season taking the bulk of his snaps from the slot with Downs out. Once Downs returned, Mitchell’s role was reduced. He played just 20 total snaps in Weeks 3 and 4, although he saw more opportunities in Jacksonville with 19 snaps in that game.
The talent with Mitchell is evident, but like any young player, he’s navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL level. The best teacher is always going to be experience, which Mitchell will likely get a lot more of in the coming weeks.
Collectively as an offense, the Colts have shown the ability to hit on the explosive pass plays but need to continue improving on the short to intermediate throws to help them sustain drives. Big plays are great, but it can’t be an offense’s primary path for moving the ball either.
In addition to Mitchell seeing more snaps, I would also expect Ashton Dulin to get added opportunities as well. That way as Mitchell continues to develop, he doesn’t have to shoulder the entire workload that comes with not having Pittman.