Most essential Colts No. 3: Michael Pittman Jr. faces enormous contract year
In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential. As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can. They relieve the pressure on everyone.
Over the next two weeks, we'll be ranking the 10 most essential players to the Colts' success in 2023. It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability.
To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players:
1. How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month?
2. What does the Colts' 2023 ceiling become if this player hits his?
The elephant in the room for 2023, of course, is the presence of a rookie quarterback. The growth of Anthony Richardson will matter more than the win-loss record, so this year's list will focus more on future value than it has in other years.
Today, we continue with No. 3, Michael Pittman Jr.
Here's the list so far:
8. Bernhard Raimann, left tackle
6. Shaquille Leonard, linebacker
4. DeForest Buckner, defensive tackle
3. Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver
Position: wide receiver
Age: 25
Experience: 4th NFL season, 4th with Colts
Accolades: 227 catches for 2,510 yards and 11 touchdowns across 41 starts in 46 games. Led Colts in receptions and receiving yards in 2021 and 2022
2022 stats: 99 catches for 925 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games
Last year's rank: No. 3
Why he's here: For two straight years, Michael Pittman Jr. has led the Colts in receptions and yards, and it hasn't been close. And for two straight years, he's fallen short of the goals he's written out and laminated for himself.
That says everything about Pittman Jr., from the NFL bloodlines to the five-star and Biletnikoff Award finalist pedigree, the natural ability and the hunger to do so much more with it.
THE MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES OF MICHAEL PITTMAN JR.: Michael Pittman Jr. is a goofball off the field and a psychopath on it. He's cultivated what he calls multiple personalities.
In some ways the past two seasons, he's been all a broken passing game has had to work with. He turned in a 1,000-yard season with Carson Wentz in 2021, back when no other Colts receiver could top 400 yards and Indianapolis appeared scared to throw the ball to anyone other than him in the second half of the season. Last year, he racked up 99 catches, or 36 more than any of his teammates, despite a rotating cast of quarterbacks, run games, offensive line combinations and play-callers.
But he also has just 11 touchdowns in three seasons, and last year, he fell short of 1,000 yards despite those 99 catches. He's been the biggest victim of the Colts' inability to solve the quarterback position since Andrew Luck retired, as he's played with five starters in three seasons. He's admittedly not played as well as he could have in moments, particularly in the red zone.
It's left more meat on the bone. The question is, is it enough to be a No. 1 wide receiver?
That's the question he'll answer in a contract year this season. His goals will be enormous again, and achieving them won't be easy with a 21-year-old rookie quarterback who is developing as a passer after just 13 starts above high school. He'll be in a new and likely run-heavy offense, and he'll be the receiver defenses key in on.
But perhaps an ounce of quarterback stability could be what he needs to thrive. Richardson didn't have a No. 1 target he could rely upon when he extended plays with his elite athleticism at Florida, and Pittman Jr. can become that now. When defenses pull an extra safety into the box to defend the run, it'll leave Pittman Jr. in 1-on-1 matchups on the sideline, where his 6-foot-4, 223-pound frame is too much for many cornerbacks to handle.
In a season where Richardson's growth is what matters most, Pittman Jr. is the most important target to unlocking that ceiling. If he does just enough for the young passer, he could be the next wide receiver to earn a major extension -- and he could move up a spot on this list for next year.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Why Michael Pittman Jr. is No. 3 among most essential players
