2024 Colts training camp preview: How will pass-catching pecking order shake out?
The addition of Adonai Mitchell to the Colts’ receiving corps should bring competition and explosiveness to the group of weapons at Anthony Richardson’s disposal.
The Colts this year are returning pass-catchers who accounted for 89 percent of their targets and 92 percent of their receiving yards in 2023. Adonai Mitchell, the 2024 second-round wide receiver, was a significant addition; fifth-round wide receiver Anthony Gould could earn some targets, too.
But beneath that remarkable year-to-year continuity is an intriguing storyline for when training camp begins next week:
Most of those players haven’t yet had a ton of opportunities to catch passes from Anthony Richardson.
Richardson started four games as a rookie and attempted 84 passes before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5. Of those throws, 62 went to players who are still on the Colts’ roster:
| Player | Targets | Receptions | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Pittman Jr. | 19 | 13 | 142 | 1 |
| Kylen Granson | 14 | 8 | 80 | 0 |
| Josh Downs | 11 | 9 | 126 | 0 |
| Drew Ogletree | 7 | 5 | 81 | 1 |
| Alec Pierce | 6 | 2 | 43 | 0 |
| Mo Alie-Cox | 4 | 2 | 50 | 1 |
| Evan Hull | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
None of Richardson’s pass attempts went toward a few other returning players, most notably running back Jonathan Taylor (23 targets, 19 receptions, 153 yards) and tight end Will Mallory (26 targets, 18 receptions, 207 yards). Tight end Jelani Woods, who caught three touchdowns as a rookie in 2022, was on injured reserve for the entire 2023 season and will compete for playing time and targets during training camp as well.
Richardson spent plenty of time during OTAs building chemistry with this group of running backs, receivers and tight ends, and those connections will continue to strengthen during training camp. It’ll be particularly notable who Richardson looks to after Pittman and Downs, who firmly were the Colts’ two most-targeted pass-catchers in 2023.
Will Mitchell earn his way into a prominent role in the Colts’ offense? Could a quarterback more willing to push the ball downfield help Pierce’s production? How will a crowded tight end room shake out between Alie-Cox, Granson, Mallory, Ogletree and Woods? And could Taylor, who caught 76 passes for 659 yards his first two years in the NFL, be an important security blanket?
If part of training camp is about developing trust with players and plays, the Colts’ four weeks of practice and three preseason games will be key in sorting out what passing plays head coach Shane Steichen will call – and who could be targeted on those plays – come Sept. 8’s season opener against the Houston Texans.