After trading Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers in March, the Colts are on track to head into the season with a questionable receiving corps. Their four-year, $114MM offer was enough to keep deep threat Alec Pierce from leaving in free agency, but his status for training camp is up in the air in the wake of offseason ankle surgery.
Assuming Pierce is healthy by the time Week 1 rolls around, he and slot wideout Josh Downs will fill major roles. The other starting spot is up for grabs. Ashton Dulin, free agent addition Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Laquon Treadwell and seventh-round rookie Deion Burks are vying for the gig. Dulin’s familiarity with head coach Shane Steichen‘s offense could tip the scale in his favor, James Boyd of The Athletic observes. Meanwhile, Mike Chappell of FOX 59 pegs Dulin as the front-runner for the job.
Dulin has been a member of the Colts since he signed with them as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He came out of Division II Malone, which Boyd notes no longer even has a football program.
This season will be Dulin’s fourth under Steichen, who has primarily deployed him as a special teamer. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder has logged a special teams snap share between 51% and 71% in each of his five seasons (he missed all of 2023 with a torn ACL). For good reason, as Dulin earned second-team All-Pro honors as a gunner in 2021 and has averaged an impressive 29.8 yards on 37 career kick returns. He returned a personal-high 16 kicks last year and averaged the second-most yards in the NFL (32.3).
While Dulin has established himself as an asset on special teams, he will have to show he is capable of taking on a larger offensive workload. Dulin has put up a robust 15.6 yards per reception in the pros, but he has caught just 40 passes and four touchdowns in 82 games. The 29-year-old combined for a mere seven catches in 27 games from 2024-25. The good news for Dulin is that he isn’t facing especially stiff competition.
Westbrook-Ikhine recorded four straight seasons of over 25 catches and 370 yards with the Titans from 2021-24, but the Dolphins released him after he managed just 11 and 89 in those respective categories last year. He had to settle for a cheap deal with the Colts, who included only $250K in guaranteed money in the pact.
Treadwell was a first-round pick of the Vikings in 2016, though he is now a 31-year-old journeyman who has never lived up to his 23rd overall draft slot. Treadwell has been in and out of the Colts organization for the past couple of years, but his most recent reception came as a member of the Ravens back in 2023. He caught one ball in five games that year.
If the Colts decide Dulin & Co. are not starting-caliber receivers, they may be candidates to sign one of the proven veterans left in free agency. Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Brandin Cooks and DeAndre Hopkins are some of the names still on the market. Indianapolis has the league’s seventh-most cap space ($31.67MM), giving the team ample room to upgrade at the position.