Steichen on Colts' decision to release WR Darius Slayton

Paul Bretl, Colts WireFri, October 16, 2026 at 6:20 PM UTC

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Shane Steichen evaluated the Colts' decision to release veteran WR Darius Slayton.

On Friday, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they were releasing WR Darius Slayton just weeks after signing him. Head coach Shane Steichen then addressed why the move was made.

"He had some good weeks of practice, unfortunately, it just didn't work out and I think those happen," Steichen said, via Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan. "I got a lot of respect for him, what he's done in this league, and I wish him the best going forward."

Slayton never played a snap or appeared in a game for the Colts. He missed Weeks 3 and 4 while still ramping up and learning the offense. He was then sidelined in Week 5 with a knee injury.

The Colts brought Slayton in to provide a vertical presence while Alec Pierce has been out -- a presence that the offense has very much been missing.

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Without Pierce, the Colts' offense has struggled to push the ball downfield. Not only has that limited explosive pass play opportunities, but it's made moving the ball on short- to intermediate routes more challenging as well, with defenses shrinking the field.

With Josh Downs garnering a lot of attention from opposing defenses, the Colts' wide receiver depth remains in question.

"I think we did our homework, and Chris did his homework," Steichen said of how the Colts handled the receiver position in the offseason, "and we were looking out there, obviously brought in Keenan, and then we brought in some other guys who popped in and out, and we're always trying to find guys for depth there. That's an ongoing process during training camp and obviously in the season as well."

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Steichen on Colts' decision to release WR Darius Slayton

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