The Indianapolis Colts clearly had changes coming after the NFL trade deadline.
They dealt away both Josh Downs — to the Kansas City Chiefs — and Keenan Allen — to the San Francisco 49ers.
So who were the Colts going to start at wide receiver after trading away the guys who were their top-two targets since Alec Pierce went on Injured Reserve?
There were some theories on Tuesday, but when head coach Shane Steichen spoke to reporters on Wednesday, he actually revealed it’ll work just a bit differently than expected.
Colts WR Depth Chart
The Colts’ head coach revealed two main starting roles to begin with.
He first told reporters that Laquon Treadwell will be a starter on the outside.
Steichen then revealed that the new starting receiver in the slot will be Anthony Gould.
That leaves Deion Burks, Ashton Dulin and Nick Wesbtbrook-Ikhine to compete for snaps at the other outside WR spot opposite of Treadwell.
Deion Burks, Ashton Dulin & Nick Westbrook-Ikhine will see elevated roles.
Some suspected that Burks or Dulin would be the de facto WR2, and they may still get solid snap counts, but Gould apparently is ahead of them.
What to Know About Anthony Gould
Gould has mostly been a special teams player up to this point in his career for the Colts.
He’s a 5-foot-8 receiver who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft at No. 142 overall out of Oregon State.
Gould is 25 and has appeared in 25 games total over the last three seasons with Indy.
He has a total of four career catches (on four career targets).
Gould caught a 23-yard pass as a rookie, caught two passes for six yards last year, and so far has one 16-yard catch this season.
He’s dangerous with the ball in his hands. Through his NFL career so far, Gould has 28 punt returns for 265 yards (9.5 yards per return) and 41 kickoff returns for 1,117 yards (27.2 yards per return).
It’ll be interesting to see if Gould maintains either of those roles to some extent despite his promotion up the depth chart. Dulin and rookie running back Seth McGowan are also capable return men depending on how the Colts want to handle that.
Colts Reveal WR Depth Chart After Trades