Colts looking for depth wide receivers to step up

If there's one thing we could say about the Indianapolis Colts' roster right now, it's that it doesn't appear to have a ton of depth. There are some areas - such as the defensive line - that appear to have plenty of solid depth players, but overall the roster doesn't have a ton.

Perhaps the most notable example is also one of the most underrated position battles: wide receiver. T.Y. Hilton is the number one and looking tremendous this offseason, while Donte Moncrief is the number two and then Phillip Dorsett is the number three. Moncrief and Dorsett have missed some time in OTAs this year, however, giving some of the younger guys more reps in practice. That could wind up being a good thing, too, as the Colts are searching for a number four and number five wide receiver.

The Colts have a number of candidates on their 90-man roster. Undrafted rookies Daniel Anthrop, Marcus Leak, MeKale McKay, Chester Rogers, and Tevaun Smith are getting a shot to compete, as are Josh Boyce, Quan Bray, Josh Stangby, and Brian Tyms.

Talking about the position on Tuesday, Colts head coach chuck Pagano mentioned Boyce, Tyms, McKay, Rogers, and Smith as players who have particularly stood out in the competition for depth spots early on.

“It’s starting to unfold and reveal itself, as we go through the offseason program, the last two weeks of it," Pagano said. "We’ve got some good young guys. The guys did a nice job, the personnel department, in finding some young players that look to have good speed, good size, good hands, catch radius, all the things that you are looking for. Wide receiver, the two free agents we brought in [Josh Boyce and Brian Tyms] are doing a nice job. They’ve been out there 100 percent attendance and they are doing a nice job. It’s a good mix. It will be really interesting to see how that shakes out. [Chester] Rogers is doing a nice job. We’ve got a big, tall guy in MeKale [McKay]. There’s some talented guys out there. Tevaun Smith is doing a nice job. It’s going to be a real competitive deal come training camp. Special teams obviously is going to play a key role in that.”

With special teams playing a role in the decision, it would seem to give Quan Bray an even better shot at making the roster. So for those wondering why Pagano didn't mention him, it's really rather simple: the Colts just haven't seen him on the field yet. He has been dealing with an injury and hasn't practiced much in OTAs.

“We haven’t seen much of Quan," Pagano said when asked about him. "He’s been in and out. He’s back out there now but he’s been fighting a hamstring issue so he’s missed a little bit of a time. We all know what he’s capable of and what he did for us from a special teams aspect. Now, he’s got to get out there and do it as a wide receiver as well.”

Bray would seem to have an inside track for one of the depth spots as he can contribute as a returner as well - something he did impressively last year. What the Colts still need, however, is someone to step up as a receiver. That competition is wide open, and it will be one worth monitoring in training camp.