CBS Sports rates Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. as the…

CBS Sports rates Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. as the fourth best 2024 NFL offensive free agent.

Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. remains one of the top free agents in this year’s offseason.

CBS Sports ranks Indianapolis Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. as the fourth-best 2024 NFL offensive free agent among 25 players this offseason.

4. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts

Michael Pittman

IND • WR • #11

Pittman is coming off the best season of his career, having racked up 109 catches for 1,152 yards and four scores last year despite going through a system change and multiple quarterback injuries. He has great size and is a threat to run after the catch with the ball in his hands. He may not quite be an alpha for your passing game, but he’s a really good fit as a high-level X receiver.

Pittman Jr. led the Colts’ receiving game in 16 games (15 starts) in 2023, with 109 receptions for 1,152 yards and four touchdown grabs. Despite playing primarily with backup Gardner Minshew as the starter, the Colts’ downfield passing game and Pittman’s potential deep targets were limited.

The former 2020 second-round pick has grown into a muscular, big-bodied possession wideout who is consistently productive and ready to do the small things that help a team win football games (such as his tenacious run blocking along the perimeter).

He has deceptively rapid speed for his huge frame and is surprisingly more productive sprinting after the catch than many imagined when he entered the NFL from USC.

Pittman Jr. may not be an outstanding #1 NFL wideout in the mold of Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, or Ja’Marr Chase, but he is more than capable of serving as the Colts’ top target in the future.

It may just be necessary for Indianapolis to better surround him with a dynamic ‘1B’ wideout on the other side of him—finding such a receiving playmaker early in the 2018 NFL Draft is a distinct possibility, given the 15th overall pick.

However, given Pittman Jr.’s young age (he is still only 26 years old), consistent output, and positional relevance, as well as 2nd-year quarterback Anthony Richardson’s continuous growth and development, the Colts must re-sign him moving ahead.

If the two parties cannot reach an agreement on a contract extension soon, Pittman Jr. will remain a top candidate for the Colts’ franchise tag this offseason. In any case, it’s difficult to imagine him not playing for the Indianapolis Colts at least through the 2024 season.

CBS Sports named Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart and cornerback Kenny Moore II as ‘honorable mentions’ among the top 25 NFL defensive free agents in 2024.