Shane Steichen Can Maximize Alec Pierce in the Passing Game
The Indianapolis Colts have their new head coach in Shane Steichen. Now, the focus becomes what he can do with this team (particularly on the offensive side of the ball). While the skill position players in Indy are far from as special as what he worked with in Philadelphia, there are a few promising pieces for him to get the most out of.
One of those offensive pieces is 2022 second-round pick Alec Pierce. Pierce had a solid rookie season with the team, hauling in 41 receptions for 593 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games played. The consistency wasn't always there for the young wide receiver, but he did flash some top-end ability in moments on the year.
With Steichen, likely, bringing more of a vertical passing attack to the Colts in 2023, Pierce is one of the players with the most to gain going into year two. His fit with Steichen's offense should be one of the more seamless transitions on the roster.
Attacking Vertically
Steichen loves to attack defenses vertically. He has been the primary playcaller for an offense in each of the past three seasons. In each of those years, Steichen has had a quarterback rank in the top 10 in pass attempts of 20+ air yards. Just last season, Jalen Hurts had 71 such attempts with the Eagles. The Colts as a team had just 38 attempts of that minimum distance.
With a more vertical passing offense coming to Indy, this benefits Pierce more than any other player. Pierce led the Colts in targets of 20+ air yards a year ago with 15. On those 15 targets, he hauled in seven of them for 243 yards and a touchdown. The problem wasn't how Pierce was used as a rookie, it was just how little he was actually targeted.
To put this in perspective, let's compare Pierce's rookie season with Mike Williams' 2020 season under Steichen. Pierce had 15 deep targets in 16 games last year, which is approximately 0.93 targets per game. Williams had 25 such targets in 14 games back in 2020, which is around 1.78 targets per game.
On top of that, Williams was also targeted down the field at a higher rate. Williams had a much higher average depth of target in 2020 (15.8) than Pierce had last season (12.2). I am in no way saying that Pierce (as a rookie) is the same caliber of receiver as Williams was in 2020, but the two players fill a very similar mold.
Both Williams (6'4" 218 pounds) and Pierce (6'3" 208 pounds) are big-bodied players that excel as vertical threats and can win contested catches. In fact, Pierce this past season caught 12 of 28 contested catch opportunities (42.8%). Williams in 2020, under Steichen, caught 14 of 29 contested catch opportunities (48.2%).
Steichen loved to line up Williams as the backside receiver in 3x1 sets and throw jump balls to his guy in single coverage (back in 2020).
Pierce, in sparse opportunities, also shined in these one-on-one vertical shots last season. The type of usage for Pierce isn't going to change under Steichen, but the young receiver is going to get more looks down the field in 2023.
Big Body Over the Middle
The other way that Steichen can maximize the talent of Pierce is by getting him involved more over the middle of the field. I'm not going to upsell the type of player that Pierce is at the moment.. he is a vertical threat that only truly excels at running slants, digs, and vertical routes. He is a raw route runner outside of that.
While Pierce is still developing and finding his footing, Steichen will utilize him in ways that he can already be effective. Going back to the Williams comparison, Williams was used in a lot of passing concepts back in 2020 that involved routes over the middle of the field.
Williams was typically the deep dig route on dagger concepts in Steichen's offense. When the defense stuck on the vertical route, Williams was able to find space over the middle and create productive gains.
This is another area where Pierce was effective as a rookie. He used his speed to create solid separation on these dig routes and he is a big-bodied player that can work in this high-danger area. Pierce may not be a complete route runner at the moment, but Steichen can make use of his ability to be an intermediate/deep playmaker.
The Bottom Line
Pierce is not a complete receiver at the moment, but he is a promising vertical threat that can win down the field (and create explosive plays). This is a vital piece in Steichen's offense, and the Colts' new playcaller should be able to find a way to make this talented sophomore successful in year two.
Pierce's profile compares favorably to Williams, who played under Steichen back in 2020. While the two may not be the exact same type of player, this is a role that has had success in this offense in the past. If Pierce can fulfill this type of WR2 role in the Colts offense in 2023, he should enjoy a nice breakout season in year two.
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Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
