INDIANAPOLIS —When he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts last offseason, Kamar Aiken was looked upon as a solid No. 3 option at wide receiver who could possibly push No. 2 receiver Donte Moncrief for even more snaps.

And early on in the season, the latter would actually end up being the case, as Aiken would log the second most offensive snaps of any wide receiver on the Colts' roster in Weeks 2, 4, 5 and 6.

The production, however, just didn't follow.

By the end of the season, despite playing in 15 games with seven starts, Aiken would log career lows in receptions (15), receiving yards (133) and touchdowns (zero).

Over the last eight games of the year, Aiken would combine to catch just one pass for two yards.

Aiken enters this offseason a free agent once again, but won't let his frustrating 2017 season deter him from continuing to work hard on his craft and trying to earn a spot once again in 2018 — whether that's in Indy or elsewhere.

"You've got to," Aiken said. "You put in a lot of work in the offseason, and your hopes (are) to have a successful season. And sometimes it doesn't work out like that, but you've still got to keep in the back of your head that you've put in the work."

Aiken will assuredly continue to get plenty of looks from teams across the league due to what he showed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015. With multiple injuries affecting the wide receiver position, Aiken stepped up big time, catching 75 passes for 944 yards and five touchdowns, showing he is perfectly capable of being a top target when needed.

Should the Colts give Aiken another look in 2018, the team could very well have a somewhat different-looking cast of characters at the wide receiver position. While T.Y. Hilton will remain the team's top receiver, Moncrief and Aiken enter the offseason as free agents, while returner/receiver Quan Bray was waived from Injured Reserve on Dec. 26.

That leaves Hilton and Chester Rogers, who enters the final year of a reported three-year deal with the Colts in 2018, as the only major contributors for sure returning at wide receiver this year, barring any unforeseen moves by general manager Chris Ballard.2018 Colts Free Agent Watch:* *

• Wide receiver Kamar Aiken
• Inside linebacker Jon Bostic
• Safety Darius Butler
• Cornerback Pierre Desir
• Running back Frank Gore
• Cornerback Rashaan Melvin
• Guard Jack Mewhort
• Running back Christine Michael
• Outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo
• Wide receiver Donte Moncrief
• Center Mike Person
• Quarterback Scott Tolzien
• Kicker Adam Vinatieri
• Tight end Brandon Williams