WESTFIELD, Ind. – Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Alec Pierce huddle together, kneeling on the sideline at the football field at Grand Park. The on-field drill is for special teams, so the three wide receivers use the few minutes they have to catch their breath and get a drink of water before getting back to work.
Reggie Wayne strides over, kneeling with his top three receivers to complete the circle. As he begins to talk, all three sets of eyes and ears focus on him. Water bottles are taken and handed back without looking and cameras are ignored. The only thing that matters is what their coach is telling them.
It's too loud to know what Wayne is saying; music blaring from the speakers, whistles blowing on the field and fans chattering in the stands combine for your typical training camp noise. But Wayne's face is serious, and he's speaking with purpose.
Because even though Pittman, Downs and Pierce have established themselves as the starting wide receivers for the Colts, Wayne doesn't accept any kind of complacency from any of his players – he expects competition, all day, every day.
"The state of the room is, nobody's safe," Wayne explained with a smile. "That's how I like to keep it. It's always, when you come here in training camp, I'm gonna treat you like a rookie. We're in a performance-based business, we need you to perform...I never want them to get comfortable."
It doesn't matter if it's Pittman, entering his sixth season in the NFL, or Adonai Mitchell, in his sophomore season, or Anthony Gould, who played primarily on special teams his rookie season but is making the most out of his training camp reps. Every wide receiver Wayne coaches is equal and is held to the same standard of excellence.
"We won't allow it," Wayne said about players getting comfortable. "Not just myself, the room. We all try to hold each other accountable. I want a nice, healthy competition every single day, especially training camp, right?"
There's not a competition like there was in 2024, when Pierce and Mitchell were battling for a starting spot, but make no mistake – everyone in the room is still fighting for something. For Pierce, it's living up to the standard he set for himself last year, when he had a breakout sophomore season and led the NFL in yards per catch. For Downs, it's staying fully healthy and playing at 100 percent so he can keep being the kind of player who set the franchise record for most receptions in his rookie year (68).
See the best photos from Friday's training camp practice at Grand Park Sports Campus.
CB Jaylon Jones #40 and CB Samuel Womack III #33
TE Sean McKeon 49 and S Daniel Scott #36
LB Austin Ajiake #58
LB Joe Bachie #48 and G Quenton Nelson #56
CB Jonathan Edwards #35
S Camryn Bynum #0 and CB Johnathan Edwards #35
QB Jason Bean #12
TE Will Mallory #86 and LB Jaylon Carlies #57
Shane Steichen Head Coach
QB Anthony Richardson #5, WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11 and WR Alec Pierce #14
TE Will Mallory #86 and LB Jaylon Carlies #57
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11 and CB Justin Walley #27
WR Josh Downs #1, WR Alec Pierce #14, Reggie Wayne Wide Receivers and WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
T Jalen Travis #75, QB Daniel Jones #17 and DE JT Tuimoloau #91
T Jalen Travis #75
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
S Camryn Bynum #0
S Camryn Bynum #0
WR D.J. Montgomery #2
TE Tyler Warren #84 and S Nick Cross #20
CB Justin Walley #27, DT DeForest Buckner #99, S Camryn Bynum #0, DE Tyquan Lewis #94, CB Justin Walley #27, S Nick Cross #20, CB JuJu Brents #29 and DE Laiatu Latu #97
WR Alec Pierce #14, WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11, WR Josh Downs #1, Reggie Wayne Wide Receivers, Leigh Hullett - Team Dietitian and WR D.J. Montgomery #2
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
P Rigoberto Sanchez #8
P Rigoberto Sanchez #8
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11, WR Alec Pierce #14 and WR Josh Downs #1
RB Tyler Goodson #31
QB/WR Jason Bean #12
DE Laiatu Latu #97
DE Desmond Little #78 and Matt Raich Sr. Assistant - Defensive Line
DE Tyquan Lewis #94 and Lou Anarumo Defensive Coordinator
WR Anthony Gould #6
S Rodney Thomas II #25
LB Cameron McGrone #59
WR Anthony Gould #6
S Hunter Wohler #30, 86 TE Will Mallory
WR Anthony Gould #6 and CB JuJu Brents #29
QB Daniel Jones #17
RB Jonathan Taylor #28, T Matt Goncalves #71 and DT Neville Gallimore #92
TE Tyler Warren #84
CB David Long Jr. #34
TE Tyler Warren #84
RB Jonathan Taylor #28, DE Kwity Paye #51 and T Matt Goncalves #71
WR Josh Downs #1 and S Camryn Bynum #0
S Rodney Thomas II #25 and S Camryn Bynum #0
CB Johnathan Edwards #35
TE Albert Okwuegbunam Jr.# 83
RB DJ Giddens #21
94 DE Tyquan Lewis
DT Neville Gallimore #92
DT Devonta Davis #61
QB Riley Leonard #15
S Hunter Wohler #30
DT Grover Stewart #90
DT Tim Smith #93
CB Alex Johnson #39 and WR Anthony Gould #6
DT Adetomiwa Adebawore #95
T Matt Goncalves #71, G Tanor Bortolini #60, G Quenton Nelson #56 and T Bernhard Raimann #79
S Nick Cross #20, RB Tyler Goodson #31 and DE Laiatu Latu #97
G Quenton Nelson #56
CB Justin Walley #27 and TE Tyler Warren #84
TE Tyler Warren #84
TE Jelani Woods #80 and S Trey Washington #41
T Bernhard Raimann #79 and DE Laiatu Latu #97
DT Neville Gallimore #92, QB Riley Leonard #15 and DE Durell Ncham i#74
Ali Demas - Social Media Operations Manager, WR Alec Pierce #14, Conner Handel - Creative Video Producer, Chris Ballard General Manager, CB JuJu Brents #29 and Jacob Clouse Creative Video Producer
WR Josh Downs #1
DT Eric Johnson II #98, RB Salvon Ahmed #36 and S Hunter Wohler #30
G Josh Sills #65
CB Corey Ballentine #38 and RB DJ Giddens #21
T Matt Goncalves #71, G Tanor Bortolini #60 and G Quenton Nelson #56
WR Josh Downs #1
CB Justin Walley #27 and WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
T Bernhard Raimann #79 and DE Laiatu Latu #97
WR Anthony Gould #6
QB Daniel Jones #17 and S Nick Cross #20
QB Daniel Jones #17
WR Ashton Dulin #16
RB DJ Giddens #21
QB Jason Bean #12
DE Kwity Paye 51
RB Khalil Herbert #26
CB Kenny Moore II #23
DT Neville Gallimore #92
DE Tyquan Lewis #94
CB Corey Ballentine #38
94 DE Tyquan Lewis
K Maddux Trujillo #48 and P Rigoberto Sanchez #8
DT Neville Gallimore #92
DT Grover Stewart #90
CB Alex Johnson #39 and CB Jonathan Edwards #35
QB Anthony Richardson #5
QB Daniel Jones #17
K Spencer Shrader #3
K Spencer Shrader #3
LS Luke Rhodes #46
P Rigoberto Sanchez #8
S Camryn Bynum #0
S Nick Cross #20 and TE Tyler Warren #84
K Spencer Shrader #3
CB Kenny Moore II #23
DE Laiatu Latu #97
46 LS Luke Rhodes
46 LS Luke Rhodes
DE Durell Nchami #74
DE Desmond Little #78
DE Kwity Paye #51
DE Laiatu Latu #97
WR Alec Pierce #14
LB Cameron McGrone #59
28 RB Jonathan Taylor
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
DT DeForest Buckner #99
CB Jaylon Jones #40
G Quenton Nelson #56
Lou Anarumo Defensive Coordinator
QB Anthony Richardson #5
WR Alec Pierce #14
QB Daniel Jones #17
QB/WR Jason Bean #12
QB Riley Leonard #15
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
QB Anthony Richardson #5
TE Tyler Warren #84
QB Daniel Jones #17 and QB Jason Bean #12
QB Riley Leonard #15
WR Ashton Dulin #16
C Danny Pinter #63
RB Jonathan Taylor #28 and DeAndre Smith Running Backs
TBlake Freeland#73, T Marshall Foerner #64, Tony Sparano Jr. Offensive Line, G Josh Sills #65 and T Braden Smith #72
WR Adonai Mitchell #10
S Rodney Thomas II #25
WR Anthony Gould #6
WR Josh Downs #1
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
WR Ajou Ajou #9
WR D.J. Montgomery #2
S Daniel Scott #32 and S Hunter Wohler #30
DeAndre Smith Running Backs and RB Jonathan Taylor #28
CB JuJu Brents #29
CB JuJu Brents #29
CB Samuel Womack III #33
TE Will Mallory #86
TE Will Mallory #86
TE Will Mallory #86
CB JuJu Brents #29 and WR D.J. Montgomery #2
They have to compete, because there's always someone behind them – someone like Mitchell, who Wayne said just needs to be more consistent.
"Second year, we expect to see growth," Wayne said. "That's all I ever want to do. I want to see growth. And by your third year, you ought to be excelling. And that's kind of, you know, Alec set the standard of that. And I want AD to follow that same thing."
Wayne himself had a similar start in the NFL to both Pierce and Mitchell; he struggled as a rookie before going on a rapid trajectory to become one of the best wide receivers in NFL history. He knows what he's talking about, and he knows how to coach players into the best versions of themselves.
And Wayne doesn't just want his players to meet the standards for being a good football player, either; he wants them to be good people. When he envisions the future for his receivers, that's what Wayne thinks about – not stats or wins.
"To be men," Wayne explained. "Like, I get it. It's football, it's all predicated on wins and losses. But I want them to grow, to be great men. And I think if you're a great man, everything else, it'll fall in order. It's a domino effect.
If you can be a great human being, then you can be a professional. So I just think it all falls in line with each other. And that's for everybody."
Feeding into competition and expecting excellence is nothing new for Wayne; it's how he always approaches training camp and a new season. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
