The Indianapolis Colts worked out veteran wide receiver Chase Claypool on Wednesday, signaling that the front office recognizes a need for more bodies in a receiver room that is thinning out heading into the 2026 season.

Could Claypool, a former 2nd-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, actually earn a spot on this roster? I think there’s a real path, even if the move itself wouldn’t be a splash.

What Claypool brings to the table

Look, Claypool has not played meaningful football since the 2023 season, and his career arc has been rocky since leaving Pittsburgh. The Steelers drafted him 49th overall in 2020, and he posted two 800-plus yard seasons in his first two years in the league.

After that, his production dipped mightily, as he bounced from the Bears to the Dolphins without much success.

With that being said, Claypool is 6-foot-4 and about 238 to 240 pounds. He is a big dude. Indianapolis simply does not have that kind of size in its receiver room right now. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who the Colts brought over from Miami in free agency this offseason, is 6-foot-2 and about 210 pounds. Outside of him, the room skews smaller.

It’s clear this workout means Indianapolis knows it might need another option. Wide receiver Alec Pierce is sidelined through training camp after undergoing an ankle cleanup months ago, and the priority there is getting him healthy for the regular season. Beyond Pierce, the Colts have Josh Downs, Westbrook-Ikhine, and a sneaky draft pick I’m high on in former Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks.

Why Claypool might not make the cut

Now, the reason I think Claypool might not ultimately land on this roster is that the Colts already have a veteran big receiver in Laquon Treadwell on the back end of the depth chart. People may forget about Treadwell, but he fills a similar role. If you want to pair the two together and let them compete through training camp, though, I see no reason why general manager Chris Ballard should not make that move.

Claypool has been a failed experiment at multiple stops in the NFL. That is fair. But when you look at what the Colts need, they have to put guys on this roster who look different and move different from what they already have. Claypool fits that description. His frame alone separates him from most of the receivers Indianapolis currently has under contract.

The bottom line

I don’t know if the Colts will sign Chase Claypool, and even if they do, will it be a big deal? Probably not. But if I were sitting in Chris Ballard’s chair, I see no problem adding Claypool to this roster and seeing if he can make enough plays in training camp and the preseason to crack the initial 53-man roster.

Sometimes a low-risk workout turns into a useful depth piece, and that is exactly what Indianapolis should be looking for right now.