The Indianapolis Colts placed wide receiver Alec Pierce on injured reserve on Saturday, replacing his roster spot with another receiver from the practice squad.
The Indianapolis Colts have officially placed wide receiver Alec Pierce on the Injured Reserve, with the hope that he will return this season after rehab. He must now miss a minimum of four games.
With Pierce's roster spot, the Colts signed third-year wide receiver Anthony Gould from the practice squad to the active roster. The Colts also announced that they elevated wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. Westbrook-Ikhine will revert to the practice squad afterward.
Pierce left last Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs near the end of the first quarter after 17 snaps and was replaced in the lineup by Laquon Treadwell.
Pierce aggravated a heel injury that he had surgically repaired in March after signing a new four-year, $114 million contract with the team.
The surgery kept Pierce out throughout the offseason and training camp, up until late August. He practiced for a few weeks before joining the team for the regular-season opener on Sun., Sept. 13, against the Baltimore Ravens.
So far, over two weeks, Pierce has caught five of seven targets for 72 yards (14.4 avg.). All five catches have gone for first downs.
While another surgery is on the table for Pierce, it would end his season, so he is opting for rest and rehab to avoid missing the remaining 15 games.
Gould Returns
The Colts originally drafted Gould in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Oregon State. In his career, he's been active for 20 games and caught three passes (three targets) for 29 yards (9.7 avg.). He's returned 36 kickoffs for an average of 26.5 yards and 23 punts for an average of 9.8 yards.
Gould was called up from the practice squad for last week's game to return kicks. He returned four kickoffs for an average of 25.5 yards.
Westbrook-Ikhine signed a one-year deal with the Colts this offseason, and though he was released during preseason roster cuts, he immediately signed with the practice squad.
In 93 career games (42 starts) with the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins, Westbrook-Ikhine has 137 catches (240 targets) for 1,862 yards (13.6 avg.) and 19 touchdowns.
For Sunday, the Colts will have the following receivers available: Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, Treadwell, Deion Burks, Darius Slayton, Gould, and Westbrook-Ikhine.
Pierce is now on IR, and Ashton Dulin is out for the second straight week with an ankle injury.
