Colts Alec Pierce Says Battle with Adonai Mitchell 'Elevates' Offense

Indianapolis Colts third-year wideout Alec Pierce welcomes the competition for playing time with Adonai Mitchell.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) runs his route during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 37-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA

Indianapolis Colts third-year wide receiver Alec Pierce hasn't had a chance to blossom as an offensive weapon. Through his short NFL tenure of two seasons, he's played 33 games (28 starts) and has caught 73 passes for 1,107 receiving yards and four touchdowns. While these numbers are pedestrian for a modern starting receiver, Pierce's situation hasn't been easy.

Through those two campaigns, he's had five different quarterbacks throw him passes and three different head coaches, among other constant changes. While Pierce isn't a volume-catching machine like Michael Pittman Jr. or a precision route-runner like Josh Downs, he's better at the deep routes and 50/50 catches than anyone else on the roster. He's also the undisputed top blocker for any wide receiver in Shane Steichen's offense. It's not a glamorous attribute for a WR; but when a quarterback as athletic as Anthony Richardson heads the offense with Jonathan Taylor as the running back, and Pierce's blocking capabilities suddenly shine.

After a training camp practice, Pierce was interviewed by the local media and Colts on SI's Jake Arthur asked the initial question to start the session with Pierce. Arthur brought up what it means to have a quarterback like Richardson back on the field relating to his skills as a deep-ball receiver, here's what Pierce had to add:

“Yeah, it's huge. Just for us, or for me specifically, and the team. Really just the team as a whole, we’ve got a lot of familiar faces here, returned a lot of guys. So, it's kind of a chance – we're coming into training camp, and it's not Day One with the quarterback, Day One with the coaches.

Pierce continued:

"It's really like a Year Two for the offense together. So, that's just a huge advantage. We're definitely I bet way further along in the plays right now and running way more advanced stuff than we were last year at this time. So, it's a big advantage."

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) looks back as he runs to the end zone for a touchdown Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY

Pierce mentions the offense having another season together as a whole. This type of continuity will help the players gel in Steichen's scheme, helping everyone succeed as a unit. Pierce was later asked about his feelings toward wide receiver's coach and Colts Ring of Honor inductee, Reggie Wayne, being excited for more competition in the WR room. Here's what Pierce had to say about the added talent:

“Yeah, no it’s definitely – it's something we always preach about in college. Coming from Cincinnati, we had a lot of good players. I was in a receiver room with a lot of good talent. It's something we say – you always used to say, ‘High tides raises all ships.’ It's all about the competitive spirit.

Pierce isn't wrong, as anytime an NFL squad brings in added competition (especially through higher rounds in the draft) it elevates the urgency of all players within the group. Pierce concluded:

"So, if you can – if you're pushing each other like they said, the better everyone is around you, basically, it's going to bring everyone's play up. And it just kind of elevates the room as a whole. So, it's just a phenomenal thing for our room itself. I look across the room and I see a ton of players that can make plays in this league, very talented players. So, it's going to be a really fun year. We're going to have an exciting offense.”

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Pierce will contend with rookie second-rounder Adonai Mitchell for the WR3 position during training camp and the regular season. While it can be seen as a threat to Pierce from surface value, adding an athletic route-runner like Mitchell can only help generate other opportunities for other playmakers like Pierce. Also, with Richardson under center, downfield shots won't be an issue. Even if Richardson somehow goes down for any period, backup Joe Flacco still has a rocket for an arm and can hit Pierce on the big throws.

One other question that stood out was when Pierce was asked about his perception of having balanced talent around him, but also still getting the targets he works hard to deserve. Here was Pierce's answer:

“Yeah, that's where it comes out here in the practice field. I can only do as much as I show on the practice field. So, I’ve got to go out there and I’ve got to – starts with individuals and routes on air. I’ve got to run clean routes. Then once you get a defender in front of you, you’ve got to show separation and make the play when the ball’s thrown to you.

One of the biggest knocks on Pierce's game is his limitation of routes. While he showcases elite-level speed and athleticism, he hasn't been able to shake defenders on cuts and get open for passes when the coverage is tight. Having more talent like Mitchell and Downs, as well as Pittman on the field can only maximize Pierce's chances of having a better year than his initial two. Pierce finished his statement saying:

"So, that's going to be the main emphasis this year during camp, is just making the most of opportunities you get because as you know, we’ve got a lot of good players out there and it's going to be – we're going to have to share the ball.”

When the time comes for the 2024 season, will Pierce still have the WR3 role over Mitchell? My vote is 'yes,' but Mitchell's talents cannot be denied for long. He's one of the most athletic receivers tested in NFL history and has a far higher ceiling than Pierce. We'll see what happens with a competitive wide receiver spot on the Indy depth chart during the weeks ahead in training camp.  

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