Receiving a big-ticket extension this offseason, Michael Pittman Jr. is facing his first extended injury absence in years. The Colts may be without their top wide receiver for a while due to a back injury.
The injury is expected to sideline the fifth-year wideout for multiple games, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicates IR is in play for Indianapolis. Pittman has not been on IR since his rookie season, having played all but two games since.
This adds to the Colts’ injury trouble. Jonathan Taylor missed last week with a high ankle sprain, and Anthony Richardson did not overcome a doubtful designation to play. The Colts started Joe Flacco for Richardson, who suffered oblique and abdominal strains against the Steelers. Both the quarterback and running back are uncertain for Week 6, a game that will not involve Pittman.
Leg surgery cost Pittman three games as a rookie, during a period in which an IR placement only cost a player three games. Pittman would miss four if placed on IR, and back injuries can certainly linger. This has already been a rocky season for Pittman, who has admittedly been hamstrung by Richardson’s developmental issues. Pittman has only topped 40 receiving yards in one of the Colts’ five 2024 games. Not coincidentally, it was the Week 4 contest Flacco finished.
The Colts gave Pittman a three-year, $70MM extension, doing so after using their franchise tag for the first time since 2013. His career-best numbers came with Gardner Minshew primarily targeting him last season; the former second-round pick totaled 109 catches for 1,152 yards. The Colts paid Taylor first, but the Chris Ballard regime — one that has made roster retention a high priority during his tenure — circled back to the 6-foot-4 wideout on Day 1 of the legal tampering period.
Indianapolis has been a Pittman-centric aerial operation for a while, having not done too well to find tight end production and struggling to land a reliable WR2 as well. This year, however, the team has other options in recent Day 2 draftees Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Adonai Mitchell. Downs joined Pittman in not practicing Wednesday, with a toe injury sidelining the second-year player. More of a deep threat compared to Pittman, Pierce leads the Colts with 368 receiving yards. The Colts will need to rely on the third-year playmaker more without their high-priced top target.
Chris Ballard is an excellent GM who can find you talent but you can’t expect him to wave a magic wand that will keep the team’s top players healthy.