Was Michael Pittman Jr. the Colts’ most-improved player in 2021?

Though the Indianapolis Colts still face some question marks when it comes to their passing game, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was a bright spot during the 2021 season.

The second-year wideout enjoyed a true breakout campaign with 88 receptions for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns. He commanded a 25.7% target share as the only viable option in the passing game.

That’s why Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus named Pittman Jr. as the most-improved player on the Colts roster in 2021.

“PFF Grade change from 2020 to 2021: 62.8 → 78.0 (+15.2)

Pittman became the reliable possession receiver the team drafted him to be last year. He was one of the 10 most productive wide receivers in the NFL against zone coverage this season. Pittman generated 2.17 yards per route run against zone and finished with the seventh-most yards (458) by finding soft spots in the coverage. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound receiver also stood strong in contested scenarios, catching 18 of 28 such targets.”

Pittman Jr. certainly proved he can be an alpha in the passing game for the Colts. The issue is that he didn’t have any help around him. T.Y. Hilton was battling injuries in what is likely his final season while the rest of the group simply didn’t make an impact.

The Colts can win with Pittman Jr. leading the wide receiver room but there is no denying they need to infuse more talent into the group. Whether that’s through the draft or free agency doesn’t matter. They simply need to do it.

But the silver lining is that Pittman Jr. continues to improve his game at all levels of the field and he can continue to be an impact player on the boundary moving forward.

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