Colts WR Michael Pittman (back) expected to miss multiple games, could be placed on injured reserve Oct 09, 2024

Receiver Michael Pittman is expected to miss multiple weeks with a back injury and is a candidate for injured reserve, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Pittman is the latest Colt to be hobbled and was joined by running backs Jonathan Taylor and Trey Sermon and fellow wideout Josh Downs as non-participants on Tuesday’s injury report. Quarterback Anthony Richardson, who did not play in Week 5 against the Jaguars, is looking to come back from an oblique injury, as well, when Indy faces the Titans on Sunday.

Pittman has maintained a key role in Indianapolis’ offense, catching 22 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown through five weeks, but thanks to the emergence of big-play artist Alec Pierce and the trusty Downs, the Colts have enjoyed the benefit of multiple quality targets in the first month-plus of the 2024 season.

Backup quarterback Joe Flacco has shown a preference to look toward Downs’ way in the last two games, but the loss of Pittman — plus Taylor’s ankle injury, which kept him out of the Colts’ loss to Jacksonville — will make their jobs more difficult in the weeks ahead.

Despite working with a number of quarterbacks, Pittman has been a steady pass catcher for the Colts since joining them via a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of USC, catching 358 passes for 3,900 yards and 16 touchdowns in four seasons, plus the five games he’s played in 2024. He’s already been asked to run routes for both Flacco and Richardson this season and has maintained his average of 10-plus yards per reception, a benchmark he’s broken in every campaign since except for 2022.

Indianapolis spent a second-round pick on Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell in the 2024 draft, adding talent to their receiving corps that they’ll need to lean on in Pittman’s absence.