The Colts head into Week 3 with a receiver group already stretched thin, and the inactives list only underscores the problem before kickoff against the Texans.
Indianapolis will release its full Week 3 inactives about an hour and a half before the 1 p.m. ET game, but the situation at wideout is already clear enough.
Alec Pierce is not simply sitting out this one - he has been placed on injured reserve after aggravating or re-injuring the ankle/heel he had surgery on in March. That means he’ll miss at least the next four games, and possibly longer.
Pierce also didn’t look fully right in Weeks 1 and 2. However the Colts may frame it, the picture from the outside is that he needed more time before getting back on the field. He was brought back quickly after limited practice and after being cleared by the team’s medical staff.
As if that wasn’t enough, Ashton Dulin was ruled out on Friday because of an ankle issue. There’s no timetable for his return, either, though he has not been placed on injured reserve.
So the Colts enter a matchup with a tough AFC South opponent carrying real uncertainty at receiver. Josh Downs is set to play and could see a major jump in targets. Keenan Allen will also be available, but he has been inefficient since signing with Indianapolis before the season.
Indianapolis added free-agent Darius Slayton in the week before the game, but he has not practiced much with the Colts. There is at least one obvious point of familiarity: he played with Daniel Jones when both were with the New York Giants.
That connection could matter down the line. For Week 3, though, Slayton is inactive.
That leaves rookie Deion Burks and veteran Anthony Gould as possible pieces who may need to step up against a strong Texans secondary. Burks brings the kind of explosiveness the Colts are missing with Pierce sidelined again.
Quarterback Riley Leonard was also expected to be inactive as the third-string QB. He would only be available if Daniel Jones and backup Anthony Richardson were both injured during the game.
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