Shane Steichen confirms suspicion surrounding Indianapolis Colts star wide receiver Alec Pierce following his heel injury
The Colts’ offense just took a significant hit, and Shane Steichen is already turning to a veteran free agent who could see the field as early as this weekend.
The Indianapolis Colts are dealing with a brutal blow to their wide receiver room. Head coach Shane Steichen confirmed the worst news regarding Alec Pierce, and the Colts have already moved to fill the void with a familiar NFL veteran.
The Indianapolis Colts are officially placing wide receiver Alec Pierce on injured reserve after he reinjured his heel on Sunday night, per head coach Shane Steichen. The loss is a massive one for a Colts offense that needs all the help it can get. Indianapolis looked competitive against the Kansas City Chiefs, and they had a strong chance to win that game. Everyone, myself included, was on Steichen’s case for not going for the jugular and trying to win, because when you gave the ball back to the Chiefs, you knew what was going to happen.
Colts sign Darius Slayton to replace Alec Pierce
The Colts wasted no time finding a replacement. As Tom Pelissero first reported, wide receiver Darius Slayton has been signed to the Indianapolis Colts roster. On top of that, Steichen said on Wednesday that he is not ruling out Slayton playing as early as this weekend.
So what does Slayton bring to the table? He certainly does not offer the high-end vertical juice of Alec Pierce. Slayton is much more of a possession wide receiver. He has been throughout his entire career. But he brings a warm body and, more than that, a veteran presence to that locker room. The Colts already had that element in Keenan Allen, but Slayton still does most of his work on a vertical plane, whereas Allen at this stage of his career operates as much more of an underneath guy, and Allen is facing a three-game suspension.
Darius Slayton 2025 stats
14 games played
- 37 receptions
- 538 receiving yards
- 1 receiving touchdown
How the Colts’ wide receiver rotation shakes out
The way I see it, while Darius Slayton certainly is not going to be the No. 1 option, but he is probably going to play a lot of X wide receiver. Keenan Allen will likely slide into more of the Z role, and Josh Downs will remain in the slot. That does not mean Downs won’t function as the top target in this passing attack. It does not mean he won’t kick outside with the absence of Pierce. But those are going to be your top three wide receivers when Indianapolis lines up in 11 personnel.
This Colts offense now runs through Jonathan Taylor, tight end Tyler Warren, and whatever Downs, Allen, and Slayton can produce on the outside. Losing Pierce’s vertical ability hurts, but Slayton’s familiarity with the NFL game and his ability to stretch the field gives Steichen a viable option to plug into the lineup.
