INDIANAPOLIS – Despite the addition of two draft picks to the Indianapolis Colts’ receivers room, the pecking order is unchanged.
The front row belongs to Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.
And first chair belongs to Pittman.
Listen to Reggie Wayne, who’s entering his third season as headmaster of the group.
Pittman, Pierce and Downs (we’ll include Ashton Dulin, who’s on the mend from a torn ACL) are “all professionals,’’ Wayne said Tuesday. "Let’s just start there. That’s half the battle. If you’ve got guys in your room that’s not a professional, that’s what you call a detention center. I don’t want any parts of that.’’
Everyone has a role. But more to the point, everyone needs to understand the rationale behind the seating chart.
“Everybody knows that Pitt’s the money man,’’ Wayne said. “Pitt’s going to be the leader of the room, right? But like I tell them, ‘You’ve got to understand every single year there’s a younger dude that’s in the room that’s looking up not just to Pitt, but you guys also.’ So, we’ve gotta lead the way. We’ve gotta lead the storm.’’
Pittman, Downs and Pierce return after being the Colts’ top three receivers last season. Pittman set career bests with 109 receptions and 1,152 yards. Downs set a club rookie record with 68 receptions. Pierce averaged 16.1 yards per catch with a long of 58, both bests in his brief career.
As much as will be expected from returnees Downs and Pierce, and draft picks Adonai Mitchell and Anthony Gould, that pales in comparison to what Wayne expects from Pittman.
Wayne was asked if there’s another level to Pittman’s game.
“Shoot, I hope so,’’ he said, his voice rising. “We can’t stop here. The investment is in, right?’’
In March, the Colts signed Pittman to a three-year, $70 million extension that included $40 million guarantees.
“We’ve got to get (our) money’s worth, right?’’ Wayne said.
The enormity of the contract – Pittman’s per-year average ranks No. 9 in the NFL – is a reflection of his value to the Colts and the escalating NFL landscape. Consider Wayne earned roughly $64.3 million during a 14-year career in Indy that has him knocking on the door of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
But back to Pittman.
As much as he’s done, there’s so much more to do.
“I hope the arrow continues to grow,’’ Wayne said. “I think Pitt still wants to be the ultimate leader, right? He still don’t have a C on his chest.’’
That designates a team captain, an honor voted on by the players. The offensive captains in 2023: guard Quenton Nelson, center Ryan Kelly and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.
“What’s the problem? You’ve gotta earn that,’’ Wayne said. “You’ve gotta earn that from your teammates and you’ve gotta earn that from everybody. You gotta get that right. You’ve still got things he hasn’t accomplished. If feel like if Pitt’s an All-Star, if he’s a Pro Bowler, we’re for damn sure gonna be in the playoffs.’’
Wayne to WRs: 'Be yourself'
Wayne’s receivers room consists of players with different styles, different personalities and different temperaments.
When general manager Chris Ballard and then-coach Frank Reich hired him to oversee the Colts’ receivers in 2022, Wayne had to come to grips with the reality he couldn’t expect his players to be him.
That was Ballard’s first bit of advice to Wayne.
Remember, they can’t play the position the way you did.
“That was the best information he could have (given) me,’’ Wayne said. “I’m inexperienced at it and I’m trying to make everyone do it the way I did it, you know what I mean? (Ballard) gave me the information and I’ve gotta heed to it. I went home and thought about it like, ‘Maybe he’s right.’ I knew I had to adjust. I’ve got to find out what they’re good at and keep it and sharpen that and the stuff that they’re not good at, we’ve got to get that better. For me, it’s just not screwing them up.’’
Wayne to WRs: 'No soft touch'
While necessary teaching adjustments are made player-to-player, there’s one area that’ll be ridge as long as Wayne is in charge.
Motivation during practices won’t include occasional encouraging pats on the back.
“I ain’t patting nobody on their back,’’ Wayne said. “Pat on the back? Hell no. Hey, you’re either going to barbeque or mildew. Which are you going to do? It’s the elite of the elite. We don’t have time to pat on the back. Everybody don’t get a trophy here. This is the way we want to do it. This is the way we’ve gotta do it. And we’ll just use whatever tricks you’re good at to get it done that way. I’ve got kids at home I can give a ribbon to. I ain’t got time for that.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.