Colts Add Keenan Allen, and the Receiving Room Looks Different Overnight

Indianapolis signed Keenan Allen to a one-year deal worth up to $8.32 million on Monday, the most direct response yet to Alec Pierce's uncertain Week 1 status. Pierce, who led the team with 1,003 receiving yards last season, remains out after ankle surgery, and a PRP injection earlier this month hasn't resolved the timeline. The Colts weren't going to wait.

Allen is a long-tenured Pro Bowl receiver who spent the bulk of his career as one of the more reliable route-runners in the AFC West before his time with the Chargers. He isn't the burner he once was, but he has never needed to be — he's a possession receiver who finds soft spots in zones and gives a quarterback a clean target on third down. That fits what Daniel Jones does well.

With Allen active, Michael Pittman Jr. at 80 catches and 784 yards last season, and Josh Downs providing slot depth, the Colts have a functional three-receiver rotation even if Pierce doesn't make it back for the opener. That's a different conversation than the one this room was having two weeks ago.

The secondary vacancy and the special teams coordinator situation I've been writing about all week are still open. But at least one of the offseason's nagging questions got answered today, and it got answered with a name.