The Colts didn’t bring in Darius Slayton just to recreate the 2019 Giants or give Daniel Jones an old friend in the locker room.

That reunion's fun. It’s also got nothing to do with why they made the move.

Indianapolis needed a receiver who could line up outside and genuinely threaten defenses deep. Without Alec Pierce out there to keep safeties from crowding Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, and Tyler Warren, there just isn't enough there to scare defenses vertically. Pierce had been filling that role until he aggravated the left heel he had surgically repaired during the offseason.

Pierce found himself on injured reserve and there's no guarantee he’ll return before the middle of the season.

That’s a bigger problem than losing just another receiver. Pierce isn’t simply one of Daniel Jones’ targets. He’s the guy who changes where everyone else gets to work. Slayton gives the Colts a chance to keep that structure intact instead of shrinking the playbook.

Pierce’s Job Is Bigger Than His Target Total

Pierce caught just 47 passes last season. If you only look at that number, you’d miss what he actually did for the Colts.

He turned those 47 catches into 1,003 yards, becoming the first NFL player since DeSean Jackson in 2010 to top 1,000 yards with less than 50 receptions. His 21.3 yards per catch also led the league for the second straight season.

And the deeper numbers make his impact look even bigger.

Pierce was targeted 61 times on throws that traveled at least 15 yards downfield in 2025. He caught 29 of them for 784 yards and six touchdowns, while also drawing five more pass-interference penalties.

That’s how a receiver can change an offense without catching eight passes every Sunday.

If you leave Pierce alone, Jones has the green light to throw it over your head. If you roll a safety his way, Downs, Allen, or Warren gets more room underneath. If you back everybody out of the box, Jonathan Taylor gets a lighter front to run against.

The whole offense works together.

We saw that during Indianapolis’ 8-2 start last season. Jones was averaging 8.3 yards per attempt, Taylor was running for six yards per carry, and the Colts were scoring on an absurd 57.6% of their possessions. Pierce wasn’t responsible for all of that, obviously, but his ability to stretch the field was one of the things that made things so hard for defenses.

Slayton Can Preserve The Threat, Even If He Can’t Become Pierce

Slayton isn’t a perfect Pierce replacement. Pretending he is would be lying to yourself.

Pierce is 6-foot-3 and built to turn contested throws into catches. Reggie Wayne once described those opportunities as closer to 90/10 balls than 50/50 balls. Slayton's smaller, and his hands have always added a little adventure to the experience. Drops have been a pretty consistent issue.

But the overlap in their roles is pretty clear.

Slayton ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash coming out of Auburn and averaged 15 yards per reception across seven NFL seasons. Even during an uneven 2025, when he played through a core-muscle injury, he averaged 14.5 yards per catch with a 13.8-yard average depth of target.

He doesn’t win exactly like Pierce. Pierce can bully a defensive back at the catch point. Slayton's more dependent on his release and his ability to create just enough separation before the ball gets there.

They end up creating the same headache for a defense.

Can your corner survive without help? Can your safety creep down toward Warren? Can you squeeze Downs in the slot and still protect the sideline? Can you load the box against Taylor without giving up a one-on-one shot?

Slayton doesn’t need to catch 70 passes for the signing to work. He just needs to keep making defenses ask those questions.

The Jones Connection Actually Matters Here

This is where the reunion becomes more than a cute graphic.

Slayton and Jones played 64 games together in New York. In those games, Slayton caught 200 passes for 2,904 yards and 12 touchdowns. No receiver caught more passes or got more yards or scored more touchdowns from Jones during their six seasons together.

They came into the league in the same draft class. Slayton was there for Jones’ first start, catching three passes for 82 yards in the comeback against Tampa Bay. He was still there in 2024, when Malik Nabers missed a game and Jones immediately looked his way 11 times. Slayton caught eight of those passes for 122 yards and a 30-yard touchdown.

There’s a reason Slayton once called staying with Jones “the best football decision” he could make.

That history won’t teach Slayton Shane Steichen’s entire offense overnight. He still has to learn the terminology, motions, formations, and protection adjustments.

But it does take away a lot of the awkwardness.

Indianapolis can give him a focused package — go routes, posts, deep overs, backside isolation shots, and clear-outs — without asking him to learn every detail all at once. The Colts don’t need Slayton to become the center of the passing game. Downs, Allen, and Warren can handle the bulk of it.

This Is A Real Role, Not An Emergency Roster Spot

Laquon Treadwell deserves credit for what he did after Pierce went down against Kansas City. He drew two pass-interference penalties worth 49 yards and hauled in a 48-yard pass on the first offensive play of overtime.

But that game also made it pretty clear why Indianapolis couldn’t just cross their fingers and hope the rest of the receiver room figured things out. Pierce and Ashton Dulin were the Colts’ two fastest downfield threats. By the start of the second quarter, both were gone.

The Colts are 0-2. They’ve lost nine straight dating back to last season, and an AFC South matchup with Houston is next. This isn’t exactly the time to spend a month slowly figuring out that defenses don’t respect the deep ball anymore.

Slayton isn’t Pierce. He’s 29, coming off surgery, and he's only available because the Giants decided their younger receiver room had passed him by.

But he’s also topped 700 receiving yards in four seasons and already has years of proof that he can win downfield with this quarterback.

That’s the bet Indianapolis is making.

The Colts host the Texans in a divisional matchup Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS, with streaming available on Paramount+.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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