Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce is expected to miss several weeks after aggravating a left heel injury in Sunday night's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Pierce will attempt to rehab the injury rather than have surgery, sources said, with the hope that he could return midseason. Surgery is still on the table depending how the rehab goes. It's likely the wideout will be placed on injured reserve while he recovers.
The injury is to the same heel that Pierce had surgically repaired in March. His recovery from that procedure stretched longer than expected, with him missing training camp and returning to practice only last month.
Pierce, who signed a four-year, $114 million contract in March, was expected to be a centerpiece of the Colts' offense this season.
The Colts, already thin at receiver because of veteran backup Ashton Dulin's ankle injury, moved swiftly to address the position by agreeing to terms Monday evening with free agent Darius Slayton, sources told ESPN. A fellow member of the Giants' 2019 draft class alongside current Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, Slayton caught 37 passes for 538 yards last season with the Giants. Slayton started 12 games last season.
The Colts' offense struggled to create explosive plays on Sunday following Pierce's injury. But Slayton, even at 29, is seen as a player who can potentially stretch the field. He has averaged a healthy 15 yards-per-catch in his career, including 14.5 last season. Jones has so far had difficulty replicating the explosiveness seen in the Colts' offense last season, when he averaged 8.1 yards per attempt. Through two games -- with Pierce limited in Week 1 and missing most of Sunday's game after his injury -- Jones has averaged 6.1 yards per attempt.
Slayton had his best seasons while playing alongside Jones in New York. In the four seasons he's played with Jones, at least in part, Slayton has surpassed 700 receiving yards.
ESPN's Stephen Holder contributed to this report.
