What should be a robust supporting cast around wide receiver Michael Pittman will give him the opportunity to have a highly productive season.
Regardless of what the circumstances have been around him during his time in Indianapolis, Pittman has produced. In each of the last three seasons, Pittman has totaled at least 88 receptions and he’s eclipsed 1,000 yards in two of the last years, narrowly missing out in 2022.
“He shows up every week,” Shane Steichen said of Pittman. “He is a consistent football player that is going to give it everything he’s got and when the ball is thrown to him, he’s going to go make plays. That’s what he does every week and he’s consistent doing it.
“When we need a big play, he’s the guy that makes it for us usually in the pass game. He’s been doing it here for a while and just very fortunate to have him on this football team.”
But as we look ahead to the 2024 season, in terms of who will be lining up next to and around Pittman, there will be several others around him who can help shoulder some of the playmaking burden, thus resulting in fewer eyes on Pittman.
The Colts’ offensive line unit bounced back last season, ranking in the top 10 in both yards per rush and pressure rate, and return all five starters this season.
Having a strong run game to lean on opens up opportunities in the passing game, while Anthony Richardson having time to throw equates to more time for Pittman to get open.
Richardson brings elite arm talent to the quarterback position, having the arm strength to make any throw in the field. But the combination of him, a healthy Jonathan Taylor, and the Colts’ RPO heavy offense under Shane Steichen will stress defenses horizontally, helping to create better spacing for pass catchers to operate in.
“To have Anthony and JT back there,” said offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, “JT has an extensive history with a lot of success, leading the league in rushing. Now we’ve got Anthony, where a defense, gosh, there may be that mesh on a run play and it’s JT going left and it’s Anthony going right, and as a defense, how do you defend that?
“You have two really explosive players that maybe have a chance to end up with the ball on a run play, how do you defend all that? It is exciting.”
Alongside Pittman at receiver will be Josh Downs, who is expecting to garner more attention from defenses in Year 2, after he ranked seventh among all receivers during his rookie year in yards from the slot.
The Colts would also add Adonai Mitchell, whose 4.34 speed brings an added vertical presence to the offense, which should help open up opportunities over the middle and underneath for Pittman and Downs.
Mitchell’s ability as a route runner will allow him to win in all parts of the field, which again, will help take some of the attention off of Pittman.
“I’ve seen him do a lot of things I’ve never seen a receiver do,” said Richardson about Mitchell. “He gets open a lot. He has a lot of wiggle to him. He’s fast. He’s a big receiver, so it’s like, alright, just throw the ball to him and he gonna go get it. I’m excited to work with him this season.”
After the draft, Shane Steichen would mention that there is only one football to go around, alluding to the talent that the Colts have on the offensive side of the football, although Pittman will continue to be a focal point.
This depth can create additional competition, which is never a bad thing, but when defenses have multiple players to worry about, that creates better spacing for the offense to operate in and more one-on-one matchups for Pittman to exploit.
“I think it’s a great thing,” said Downs about the talent on offense. “You see a lot of teams, for example, the Bears, the Texans, they got three guys that can go, like for real, for real. So, at the end of the day, it opens up everything for everybody because you don’t just have one player to guard, you got three people that you got to guard, so nobody can really get double-teamed.
“So I feel like it’s a good thing and it will also bring out a lot of competitiveness in the guys because everybody do want the ball.”