The Indianapolis Colts seem like they could be in need of another wide receiver after the release of Darius Slayton.
Slayton appeared to be a logical solution once Alec Pierce was placed on injured reserve, but Slayton didn’t play in a single game for the Colts before they cut him.
On Monday, the Colts took a look at a variety of players in a workout, and one stood out above the rest: Ainias Smith.
NFL transactions reporter Aaron Wilson reported the workout on Monday evening:
#Colts worked out Courtney Jackson, Joseph Manjack, Amari McNeill, Cam Rice, Ainias Smith, Jay Tufele
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 19, 2026
No signing has been reported yet, which may mean the Colts won’t bring Smith on board further.
But it’s worth thinking about how Smith might help Indy.
What to Know About Ainias Smith
The headline-grabbing piece of Smith: He was a member of the 2024 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
That was actually his rookie season. The Eagles took Smith in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft at No. 152 overall out of Texas A&M.
That’s the only season in which Smith has appeared in the NFL so far. He played in seven games and caught 7-of-9 targets for 41 yards and a touchdown. Smith also ran two times for six yards that year.
Smith also returned one kick for 17 yards that year. He has the player skillset that makes him seem like a returner, but he doesn’t have that experience up to this point.
The Eagles kept Smith through the summer of 2025, but they cut him at the end of the preseason.
The Carolina Panthers signed Smith to their practice squad on Aug. 28, 2025 — and he spent the whole year on the Panthers’ practice squad.
Carolina then kept Smith around into early August of 2026, but then they cut him due to a summer injury.
Smith has been a free agent since that point, and so now he’s working out for teams trying to get onto another roster.
How Colts’ WR Depth Chart Could Use Help
At least while Pierce remains on IR, the Colts aren’t super deep.
They have Josh Downs and Keenan Allen atop the wide receiver depth chart. They’re joined by the likes of Laquon Treadwell, Deion Burks, Ashton Dulin and Anthony Gould.
The practice squad includes Eli Pancol, Quez Watkins and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
So it’s not like the Colts don’t have numbers. They just aren’t in a position to turn down a potential upgrade.
That’s likely why they brought Smith in for a workout — they wanted to see if he’s got more juice to him compared to some of the guys currently in their building.
No signing yet implies that they weren’t impressed enough, but the Colts will now be aware of what Smith could provide if they need a player at some point going forward.
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