COLTS

Colts should have great competition at receiver

Stephen Holder
stephen.holder@indystar.com

Even before the final picks of the NFL draft were in the books, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton realized they could not contain their elation about the team's newest offensive difference-maker, first-round choice Phillip Dorsett.

The conclusion they reached was effectively, "Buckle up."

"I know he feels really excited about some of the things he can do offensively with all the weapons that we have," Irsay said of Hamilton, who pulled the strings on the NFL's top-ranked passing game in 2014.

"It's going to be really exciting how he goes after people."

Yes, defensive coordinators are on notice, with the Colts beefing up their passing game with another explosive receiver.

But the addition of Dorsett will have a ripple effect on the Colts' personnel, specifically when and how the Colts use certain receivers and tight ends in their various packages.

Before Dorsett's arrival, the pecking order at receiver was relatively clear. T.Y. Hilton and Andre Johnson figured to get most of the snaps in the base offensive packages, with Donte Moncrief and tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen rotating in some fashion.

But the Colts didn't spend a first-round pick on Dorsett for him to sit on the bench. If he proves ready for playing time, it's likely going to come quickly. And that will have a considerable impact on certain players' snap counts and their number of targets.

Are there enough footballs to go around?

"There's a ton of guys there," coach Chuck Pagano said. "They all have different skill sets. They all have unique qualities and do different things. It'll be (something) that everybody's going to keep an eye on starting with (offseason practices) and leading into training camp to see how that thing shakes out."

In packages that feature a running back and one tight end, the Colts will be limited to deploying, at most, three receivers. Who will they be? Hilton, Johnson and Dorsett? Or would Johnson, who turns 34 in July, sometimes have to give way? And when Hamilton goes to his beloved two-tight end packages, there are likely to be just two receivers on the field.

There are other questions, too. Is there a role for exciting former Canadian star Duron Carter, signed to the roster in February? Will Vincent Brown make the roster? How will the tight ends' frequent touches be affected? Does Dorsett play out of the slot, where so much of his success at Miami came?

These are good problems to have. But they are problems that must be solved nonetheless.

"It'll be great competition," Pagano said, giving no hints of his plans. "You guys know what T.Y. is. We added a guy just like him (Dorsett). I don't know if he's a step or two faster. He's strong. He's durable. The guy's not a track guy playing football; I mean, the guy can run and he's tough. He'll go up and make contested catches."

A great advantage from all this is the fact that defenses – besides having to cover some really talented players – will be hard-pressed to deal with the changing personnel groupings and the potential for favorable matchups it provides for the Colts.

To be able to substitute a player like Dorsett for a completely different player like Johnson, from one snap to the next, is a win for the Colts. Many similar moves are also now at the Colts' disposal.

Bolstering the passing game seemed unnecessary to some, given the Colts' explosiveness in 2014. But you won't hear Hamilton complain. The Colts, remember, scored a mere seven points in the AFC Championship Game that has consumed so much of the offseason conversation. While the Patriots' effortless rushing success in that game has shaped discussions about the Colts during the past three months, there's also something to be said for, perhaps, turning the tables on New England.

The idea is to create cracks in the Patriots' defense and that of every other opponent. As for who plays and when, the Colts are content to figure that out later.

"The Dorsett move," Irsay said, "is a move that really gives us a chance to put extreme stress on defenses."

Follow Star reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.