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How Michael Pittman Jr. is becoming a consistent 'menace' for the Colts

INDIANAPOLIS - Michael Pittman Jr. was in a dead sprint when he realized his biggest catch of the day was going to be the most painful.

The Colts were in overtime against the Ravens when Gardner Minshew heaved a pass that was going to be behind him. The momentum of a 6-foot-4 body wasn't going to slow down at that point, so he flipped his shoulders until he was running backward and timed a leap with the arrival of the ball -- and of a shot to the head from behind, all as a defensive back in front of him was ripping his facemask off mid-flight.

He landed without a helmet, and suddenly Drew Ogletree was daring his most wild friend to do something he would never try.




"Tree was pushing me, and I know I can't run because I don't have a helmet on," Pittman said after the play. "He tapped me to get up and go run, and I was like, 'Wait.'"

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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) loses his helmet as he picks up a clutch catch in overtime against Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
This is who Pittman is in his fourth year with the Colts. He's the player they heave it up to in the desperate moments, who can sky above multiple defenders and make something out of nothing down the field.

"That's the menace part of him," Colts receivers coach Reggie Wayne said. "... You can't have 11 menaces out there. Somebody's gotta have some sense.


"I told him after the game, 'That's what separates the average from the elite.'"

What's important to Pittman is that he's moving beyond the splash plays that built his breakout in 2021. He is the only player in the NFL with at least eight catches in all three games.

After a 503-yard rookie season with Phillip Rivers, the second-round pick out of USC cashed in a 1,000-yard season in his second year largely on jump balls and broken plays with Carson Wentz.


But those splash plays disappeared last season, when the Colts rotated from Matt Ryan to Sam Ehlinger to Nick Foles, none of whom had the mix of escapability and arm strength to throw those 50-50 passes. He was still the team's leading receiver with 99 catches, but he fell 75 yards short of another 1,000-yard season.

It was nearly impossible for anyone in the Colts passing game to build with a constant rotation of quarterbacks, offensive coordinators and offensive line combinations. But Pittman believes he's wired to produce through the circumstances.



So far this season, he is. His 25 catches are tied for fourth in the NFL.

The settings have not been ideal.

Pittman is in a new offense designed by Shane Steichen and Jim Bob Cooter. He's seen a rotation of quarterbacks due to injury, as Anthony Richardson has attempted 47 passes and Minshew has 69. On Sunday, Minshew became his seventh starting quarterback in four seasons.

Pittman is still under 10 yards per catch, despite that 34-yard play in overtime. But he's been reliable, catching a career-high 74% of his targets.

"It's always important to be consistent, especially with a younger quarterback, to be a guy that they know, 'Hey, if we need a completion, we can go there,'" Pittman said. "That's something I take pride in, and hopefully we can start stretching these targets farther down the field."

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) gets a few yards on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Pittman's 5.4-yard average depth of target is the second-lowest of the top 18 players in receptions in the league, according to Sports Info Solutions.

"Usually the guy who doesn't run the right route or get his route depth gets the damn ball," Wayne said in mock disgust.



But Pittman hungers for the honest truth.

He grew up as the son of an NFL running back, and when Michael Pittman Sr. realized his son was too tall to take his same position, he took his son to a local park in California and ran press coverage on him.

“I used to bully him. Just bully him," Pittman Sr. said. "I wanted to see him perform through his emotions."

GO DEEPER: The multiple personalities of Michael Pittman Jr.

That work -- as well as the pressure to pass it on to a younger brother, Mycah, who now plays at Utah -- helped craft the "menace" the Colts have now. It's no longer just a high-variance, volatile specimen but one that a rookie and backup quarterback alike can trust to make a play in the most dire of moments.

Without Jonathan Taylor or any established NFL receivers, Pittman has become the safety blanket.



The next step is blending the reliability with the playmaking into something that can produce down the field more often. Though he doesn't win often with his speed, Pittman has enough of it at his size with a 4.52-second 40-yard dash time, which paid off on a 39-yard screen pass touchdown against the Jaguars in Week 1.

It's the trust that has to build -- for Richardson in where Pittman is going to be and in Pittman in that the quarterback and play design will get him the ball as intended and he doesn't have to improvise. It's one of the reasons the Colts have stressed repetition with Richardson, as the 21-year-old has never built a connection with a go-to receiver before. It's also why they have to find a way to protect their rookie quarterback, so he can stay in practices and games and grow this organically.

They could get another shot this week, with Richardson practicing Wednesday and Thursday as he works through the NFL's concussion protocol. If he can play against the Rams, that work will allow Steichen to draw up specific designs to get Pittman the ball down the field in a way where he doesn't have to turn and locate it and where nobody can tempt him to run without his helmet again.