The Indianapolis Colts keep watching their receiver options shrink, and Wednesday brought another name off the board when Stefon Diggs agreed to join the Washington Commanders. With the market thinning and Alec Pierce still sidelined by a lower-body injury, the path forward is starting to look pretty clear: if the Colts want a real answer at wideout, they may need to call New England about Kayshon Boutte.
Pierce’s absence has made the issue more urgent by the day. If he comes back soon, the situation might settle down.
But there’s no guarantee with a lower-body injury, and even if he returns on schedule, he’ll still need time to get back into playing shape and rebuild timing with Daniel Jones. The two haven’t played together since last December.
That leaves the Colts staring at a receiver room that, one week into camp, still hasn’t produced a breakout. Shane Steichen will say all the right things about the group he has, and maybe one of these players will seize the moment.
But the reality is hard to ignore. Outside of Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, there isn’t a current Colts receiver who did anything notable in the NFL last season.
The room is packed with unproven rookies and veterans whose best football feels behind them.
Could Ashton Dulin surprise people? Sure.
Could Deion Burks hit fast as a rookie? Maybe.
Could Nick Westbrook-Ikhine find the late momentum he flashed in Tennessee in 2024? Possibly.
But are Chris Ballard and Steichen really in a position to bet their season on those possibilities, especially with both men knowing how much is riding on this year?
Boutte at least brings something concrete. He isn’t a headline name, but he has shown he can stretch the field and make it count.
Over the last two seasons, he has 76 catches for more than 1,100 yards. He hasn’t piled up huge volume, yet he has been efficient, averaging 15 yards per reception and turning either a touchdown or a first down on 80% of those catches.
That profile looks a lot like Alec Pierce.
With Pierce moving into Michael Pittman’s X role, Boutte fits naturally into the Z spot Pierce has handled so well over the past two seasons. And there’s a reason he might be available.
New England, which came up just short of a title last year, added both AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason, making Boutte expendable. The cost should be manageable, likely a day three pick.
Indianapolis is currently expected to get at least one day three pick back as compensation for losing Kwity Paye this year.
There are cheaper receivers out there, at least on paper. Diggs heading to Washington could open the door for a mid-tier veteran such as Dyami Brown.
An ESPN piece also floated Buffalo’s Keon Coleman as a trade possibility. But that one doesn’t make much sense.
Coleman is big, athletic, and probably available for a late-round pick, yet he’s also a second-round pick from 2024 who still hasn’t come close to matching his talent. Buffalo has also had questions about his work ethic and discipline.
For Ballard, that would feel a lot like trading for the second coming of Adonai Mitchel.
That’s not the move here.
Boutte is. He’s the receiver who fits what the Colts need right now, and he’s the one who looks like the cleanest answer before the season starts.
In Other News...
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Michael Pittman Just Added To A Tough Colts Daniel Jones Debate
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Even after the trade, Pittman left the door open on what Jones means to the Colts' locker room, calling him one of the toughest players he's been around and pointing to the quarterback's work ethic. For a team still trying to settle its long-term direction under center, those kinds of comments only sharpen the debate around whether Jones is the right answer, and how much of last season's grit should count when the stakes get even higher. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Made Their Bet On Jonathan Taylor Crystal Clear
Jonathan Taylor is now firmly at the center of the Colts offensive plans. Indianapolis has already locked up quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce, and the latest move only reinforces how much the organization is leaning into continuity on that side of the ball. Taylors place in the offense has never been in doubt, but the contract picture makes the commitment impossible to miss.
The extension gives Taylor added security and gives the Colts a clearer path forward with the core they want in place. It also signals just how highly the team values his role among NFL running backs, even in a league that often treats the position differently from year to year. For Indianapolis, this is less about making a splash than about drawing a line around who it wants to build around now and into the next phase. [Read more 🡒]