Months after sending Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts finally gave their wide receiver room a real proven target. Keenan Allen is now in the building, and even at this stage of his career, he brings exactly the kind of steady production this offense can use.
There’s also a wrinkle attached to the move. Allen is only 47 catches away from matching Marvin Harrison for third on the franchise’s all-time receptions list, which means the Colts could wind up helping him bump one of the most iconic players in team history off the podium.
Allen enters Indianapolis with 1,055 career receptions, good for 10th all-time in the NFL. Harrison sits at 1,102, behind only Jerry Rice’s 1,549 and Larry Fitzgerald’s 1,432.
That gap doesn’t make Allen Harrison’s equal - and the source material makes that plain. Harrison was an eight-time All-Pro, a two-time leader in receiving yards and receptions, and he also shared the league lead in receiving touchdowns once. Allen, by contrast, is more about staying on schedule than lighting up highlight reels.
Still, there’s real value in what he does best. Allen has never finished a fully healthy season with fewer than 60 catches, and in 13 years he’s played double-digit games in all but two seasons.
He also has five seasons without missing a game at all. That kind of week-to-week reliability is why he’s been such a trusted chain-mover for so long.
He doesn’t match Harrison’s explosiveness, catch radius or yards-after-catch magic, and he remains more than 2,500 receiving yards and nearly 60 touchdowns behind him. But for an offense looking for a dependable option, Allen fits the job description.
He should give Daniel Jones a trustworthy target when third down tightens up, while also easing some of the burden on Alec Pierce, who has been more of a big-play threat than a possession receiver.
There’s a fair argument that today’s extra game gives modern players a boost in counting stats. But that’s part of the landscape now, and nothing Allen or any other Colts receiver does is going to wipe away what No. 88 meant to this franchise.
And if Allen does climb past Harrison on the Colts’ receptions list, the idea is that Harrison - a relentless competitor himself - would still appreciate it if it came with some important wins attached.
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Anthony Richardson Just Raised The Stakes In Colts Quarterback Battle
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Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodd has made the teams preference clear, saying the organization wants three quarterbacks who can play, which only adds to the pressure on the battle unfolding over the next few weeks. Richardsons recent remarks have also suggested he may not be fully convinced the Colts are as confident in him as they want to be, and that tension gives this competition a different feel than a standard preseason fight for snaps. [Read more 🡒]