Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. sustained a back injury that could sideline him for multiple weeks, multiple league sources confirmed Wednesday. Pittman did not practice Wednesday due to the injury and previously missed one other practice this season on Sept. 20 due to back and calf injuries.
Indianapolis is still weighing whether or not Pittman will head to injured reserve, per league sources, which would require him to miss at least the team’s next four games. Pittman has missed just five out of a possible 72 regular-season games through the first five years of his career.
Pittman did not start in last week’s 37-34 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but still led all Colts receivers with 62 snaps played. He finished with five catches for 37 yards, including a 1-yard TD reception in the first quarter, marking his first TD of the year. Pittman ranks second on the Colts, trailing Alec Pierce with 238 receiving yards on 22 catches this season.
Pittman has been the Colts’ top receiver over the last four years. Last season, he became just the fourth player in franchise history to record 100 catches and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season, joining Marvin Harrison Sr., Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.
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Pittman’s absence would be a huge loss for second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, who missed last week’s game due to a right oblique injury and could return this week amid an up-and-down 2024 campaign. Richardson threw three touchdowns against six interceptions so far this season.
Pittman being sidelined would also be a big blow for a team sitting at 2-3 and that has already been ravaged by significant injuries. Five starters are currently on injured reserve: defensive end Samson Ebukam (left Achilles), cornerback JuJu Brents (MCL), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (right high ankle sprain), defensive end Tyquan Lewis (elbow) and right guard Will Fries (right tibia).
Pittman was drafted in the second round by the Colts in 2020. In March, he inked a three-year, $70 million extension with $46 million guaranteed. The 27-year-old is the second-highest paid receiver (based on annual average) in the AFC South, trailing only Houston’s Nico Collins.
(Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
