Colts add rookie pass catcher Liam Clifford on undrafted free-agent deal

The Indianapolis Colts announced Thursday that they have signed undrafted free agent wide receiver Liam Clifford. The transaction adds another young target to the club’s offseason group, giving Indianapolis an opportunity to evaluate his route running, hands, and ability to work through coverage during the early stages of camp.

Clifford’s addition comes as the Colts continue to build out their wide receiver room around a mix of returning players and new faces. For an undrafted rookie, a contract like this is often the first step toward earning a more meaningful role, beginning with daily reps and progressing to preseason opportunities that can separate players on fundamentals and reliability.

From the Colts’ perspective, signing a receiver at this point of the offseason is also a depth and development move. Training camp is where a wideout’s transition is tested in full-speed situations, including learning offensive verbiage, timing concepts with quarterbacks, and adapting to the speed of the NFL game as defenders press and disguise coverages.

Clifford, listed as a wide receiver, joins the Colts on the kind of deal that typically comes with a performance-based evaluation window. That means the early focus is less about established status and more about consistent execution: catching what quarterbacks put on him, maintaining separation without unnecessary separation-breaking motions, and showing improvement through coaching feedback week to week.

The Colts’ receiver competition will likely be shaped by who can quickly master the playbook and who can translate practice performance into game-like reps. For Clifford, the practical pathway is to stand out on specific packages and roles, whether as a downfield option in the passing game, a situational target in multiple personnel groups, or a player coaches trust to run assignments without breakdowns.

As the team moves toward roster decisions, the signing also underscores a familiar offseason reality: undrafted receivers can emerge when opportunities align, particularly when they demonstrate traits that coaches value, such as secure hands, good body control, and the ability to create separation at the catch point. The Colts will determine whether Clifford’s profile fits their offense and whether he can sustain that level of play against NFL-level competition.

What to watch next is straightforward. Clifford will need to make an impression in drills and practices, with attention on how quickly he understands the route tree and how consistently he converts targets into clean completions. If he earns more reps early, it will set the stage for whether he can push into deeper rotations as preseason evaluation continues.