Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce makes a touchdown catch past Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson on Dec. 31, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

WESTFIELD — Alec Pierce won his battle early in the route, and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco needed little time before pulling the trigger.

As he peered back over his shoulder to catch the football in the end zone, the third-year wide receiver noted the pass was a little closer to his outside shoulder.

With lightning-quick efficiency, Pierce made the adjustment mid-stride before hauling in a 45-yard touchdown. But what happened next really stood out.

Pierce roared in celebration as a group of VIP fans in the nearest grandstand expressed their approval.

It’s been anything but a quiet training camp through the first five practices for the wide receiver with perhaps the most to prove on this roster.

Pierce likely will battle with rookie Adonai Mitchell throughout the season for snaps on the outside opposite No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

So far, his response has been impressive.

“I expect him to continue to grow. I expect him to compete, right?” Indianapolis Colts wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne said. “You gotta think about it, man. The excitement that I’m feeling for Alec right now in this camp is like no other because, honestly, Alec ain’t never really had to compete. You know what I mean?

“When he got here (as a second-round pick in 2022), he was kind of given the third-receiver chair. And then last year he was given the second-receiver chair. Now you’ve got somebody pushing him, right? So we ought to see the Alec that we expect to see, a guy that comes in and continues to be a professional, comes in and makes plays. The guy’s really never really hit his stride. I think this is his time.”

Pierce had a solid rookie season amidst the chaos of 2022, catching 41 passes for 593 yards and two touchdowns despite missing a game with a concussion and playing with three different starting quarterbacks.

There were high hopes for him to build off that foundation last year. But Pierce’s receptions (32) and yards (514) decreased even as he swelled from a 14.5-yard average per reception to 16.1 yards while matching his two-touchdown total.

This fall, he’ll try to make a Year 3 leap in the most crowded receiver room of his career.

Pittman is coming off a career-best season and signed a three-year, $70 million contract extension to solidify his spot as the leader of the group in the offseason.

And second-year receiver Josh Downs already has established himself as the team’s most dangerous weapon in the slot. He appears poised to make another jump alongside a healthy quarterback Anthony Richardson, with whom he has unquestioned chemistry.

That leaves Piece and Mitchell fighting for playing time at the other outside spot. Both bring speed and athleticism to the attack. Consistency will ultimately separate them.

While the competition will be fierce, Pierce welcomes the challenge.

“It’s definitely something they always preach about in college,” he said. “At Cincinnati, we had a lot of good players. I was in a receiver room with a lot of good talent. And it’s something at UC we used to say, ‘High tides raise all ships.’

“It’s all about competitiveness here. So if you’re pushing each other … the better everyone is around you, basically it’s gonna bring everyone’s play up and just like elevate the room as a whole. So it’s just a phenomenal thing for our room as well as myself. I look across the room and I see a ton of players that can make plays in this league, very talented players. So it’s gonna be a really fun year, and we’re gonna have an exciting offense.”’