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Now more than five weeks into the season, the Indianapolis Colts are still trying to generate more explosive plays. In order to accomplish that, the Colts may need to search outside of their organization.
At least that’s what Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox appears to believe. Knox has routinely identified the Colts as a potential landing spot for veteran wide receivers on the trading block early this season.
On October 12, Knox argued that the Colts would be an ideal fit for Carolina Panthers wideout Robbie Anderson.
The Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule on October 10. The same day, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that after Carolina announced Rhule’s firing, teams around the league began inquiring about potential trades with the Panthers. Giving up on the season, Glazer tweeted the Panthers are interested in stockpiling draft picks.
Therefore, Anderson could be available, and in Indianapolis, he would add depth to a still thin wide receiver group.
What Anderson Would Bring to Colts
The 29-year-old receiver was once a big-play threat. During his first four NFL seasons, he averaged 14.8 yards per catch.
Anderson doesn’t appear to be quite that same player anymore, but in the right situation, he may still be a lethal offensive weapon down the field.
The Colts could use that for several reasons. For one, Indianapolis is ranked 27th in the NFL with 4.9 yards per play. The Colts are also about average at getting the ball down field. Indianapolis is 16th with a 7.1 yards per pass attempt average through five games this season.
Anderson was more of a possession receiver during his first two years in Carolina (2020 and 2021). This season, he only has 13 catches, but he’s averaging 15.8 yards per reception. Anderson has 206 receiving yards and a touchdown with 27 targets in five games.
Even the threat of a receiver with Anderson’s skillset could help the Colts running game. Jonathan Taylor has struggled to get going in the last few weeks, as opposing defenses primarily focus on stopping the Indianapolis ground attack.
If Anderson can pose as a deep threat, Taylor may face fewer stacked boxes.
Anderson struggled in 2021. He posted 53 catches for 519 receiving yards despite receiving 110 targets. The 29-year-old receiver has posted about a 48% catch percentage over his last 23 games.
But that poor catch percentage should at least be partially credited to the Panthers quarterback struggles. Carolina has started four different signal callers since the start of the 2021 season, and Anderson never really found a connection with any of them.
In 2020 when Teddy Bridgewater started 15 games, Anderson registered career highs of 95 receptions and 1,096 receiving yards. With the New York Jets, Anderson recorded three seasons of at least 750 yards from 2017-19.
Colts’ Wide Receiver Depth
Indianapolis would love a wideout such as Anderson to provide a spark in the vertical passing game, but the truth is, any depth at receiver would be good for the Colts.
Rookie wideout Alec Pierce is emerging as a reliable target for Matt Ryan, but Parris Campbell hasn’t, and the Colts just placed Ashton Dulin on injured reserve. That leaves Indianapolis with two receivers who have consistently produced this season.
“The Indianapolis Colts also could use receiver help and might find a fit for the speedy Anderson,” Knox wrote. “Rookie Alec Pierce has started to show some promise over the last two weeks (12 catches, 161 yards), but their depth behind him and Michael Pittman jr. is lacking. The Colts offense is averaging a modest 5.6 net yards per pass attempt.”
Spotrac reported that the Colts have roughly $6.67 million remaining in salary cap space. Anderson has a base salary of just a little more than $1 million, but next season, he’s set to count as a $21.7 million cap hit in the final year of his current deal.
It seems unlikely that Indianapolis would want to be saddled with the full compensation of the remaining season on his contract. In all likelihood, no NFL team will want that.
For an Anderson trade to happen to Indianapolis, the Panthers and Colts would need to agree on compensation and on what happens to the receiver’s contract next season.
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