The Indianapolis Colts drastically overhauled their tight end room with the addition of one player this offseason. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren’s presence on the team clearly defines the rest of the roles in the room, and it gives the Colts an intriguing young player to use in both the run and the passing game.
The Colts’ tight end room has been justifiably under scrutiny in recent seasons, as their four players combined for just 467 yards receiving on 73 targets in 2024. The Colts needed a change in the room, and they got it in the draft, adding a potential star in Warren with the number 15 selection in this past draft.
As the Colts’ close in on the start of the 2025 season, there are still a few questions that remain with this tight end room and the types of roles each player will play. Let’s dive into a few of the most pressing and see if we can find some answers prior to the end of training camp.
Should the Colts Keep Will Mallory or Jelani Woods as the Final Tight End on the Roster?
The Colts are going to have to make some tough decisions in the tight end room, and it could come down to two former draft picks fighting for the final spot on the roster. Warren is obviously going to make the team, and veteran tight end Mo Alie-Cox has been exclusively running with the top unit in training camp. Drew Ogletree’s spot is likely secured as well with his role on special teams and as a blocker on offense.
That just leaves potentially one spot available at the bottom of the roster for a pass-catching option. Jelani Woods, a former third-round pick, still has incredible upside, but he has missed the past two seasons due to injury. He is still working his way back with the team while also fighting for a job this summer. Will Mallory, a former fifth-round pick, has been a gameday inactive player for much of the last two years, but he has steadily improved as a player over that span.
As of right now, it appears as though Mallory has the slight edge in this competition. Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has repeatedly brought up Mallory in recent press conferences while Woods remains an afterthought. Woods still has the higher ceiling, and GM Chris Ballard is infamously patient with his former top picks, but the coaching staff seems to be leaning toward Mallory as of right now.
There is still a lot of camp left, though, so Woods has a chance to make up ground in the upcoming weeks.
How Will The Colts Use Tyler Warren in Year One?
Warren will be the Colts’ top tight end in his rookie season; that much is not a debate. The only real conversation regarding Warren is how many snaps he sees and how the Colts look to deploy him. In terms of total snaps, the expectation should be that Warren approaches a similar snap share that Dallas Goedert saw in Philadelphia under Shane Steichen. The target shares may not be the same, but certainly the snap share.
The fun is going to be how Warren is used in this offense. He will most likely absorb most, if not all, of Kylen Granson’s vacated snaps from this past season, and I expect him to eat into Ogletree’s offensive snaps a decent amount as well. If we combine the two players from last season, that would equal 869 snaps on offense with 47 snaps in the backfield and a little over 200 snaps out in the slot.
That breakdown will likely change a bit for Warren, but the total snaps feel like it’s in the right ballpark. I would guess that Warren sees an increase in snaps in the slot and in the backfield, while Alie-Cox handles a lot of the inline duties. Warren’s best abilities are used out in space, so the Colts will be creative in getting him opportunities in the slot, as the sniffer tight end, and even in the backfield as a fullback.
Overall, the Colts will use Warren more like an offensive weapon rather than a traditional tight end. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him have a massive rookie season relative to most at his position.
Why was Mo Alie-Cox Re-Signed With So Many Young Options on the Roster?
The Colts’ tight end room is relatively young, with only one player contending for a roster spot past their rookie contract. That one player is, of course, Alie-Cox, one of the Colts’ longest tenured players on the team. Alie-Cox has been re-signed numerous times since 2017, and he was re-signed to a one-year deal back in April.
This move may seem puzzling to some Colts fans, as the 31-year-old tight end has plateaued as a pass catcher in the league. While he may lack the exciting pass-catching juice that most want at the position, he still holds tremendous value as a blocker. In Steichen’s two seasons with the Colts, Alie-Cox has ranked inside the top 20 in run block grade among all tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus.
The easy rebuttal to this is that Ogletree offers the same, if not better, blocking upside, as PFF has ranked Ogletree ahead of Alie-Cox as a blocker the past two seasons. The reason why it is hard to compare the two is because Alie-Cox has been tasked with more in-line blocking opportunities in this offense, and the Colts trust Alie-Cox with more high-leverage moments in the passing game. Those two factors alone give him more utility to the Colts than Ogletree for the time being.
Ogletree may be able to fully supplant Alie-Cox by the end of the season, but for now, Alie-Cox’s ability as an in-line blocker is vital to have alongside a versatile move tight end like Warren in 2025.
Will the Colts Use Any Packages with Two Receiving Tight Ends on the Field at Once?
This question is mainly looking at the odds of seeing some 12-personnel looks with both Warren and Woods/Mallory on the field together next season. The odds of the Colts utilizing sets like that aren’t great, as Steichen traditionally doesn’t like to throw the ball often out of 12-personnel. Let’s add some stats for context.
In Steichen’s time in Indy, the Colts have run 12-personnel at a 22% rate (470 total plays). The Colts have steadily ranked in the bottom 10 in pass rate out of 12-personnel compared to the rest of the league, coming in at roughly 40%, according to Sumer Sports. That still leaves 188 passing plays for the Colts in 12-personnel, so there is a chance to sneak in a few snaps with two receiving tight ends on the field. By my count, however, the Colts just had seven of those 188 snaps pass plays out of 12-personnel come with both Mallory and Granson on the field the last two seasons.
Warren is absolutely a better blocker than Granson ever was, but I firmly believe that the same concerns for Steichen would arise with having him alongside a Woods or a Mallory on the field at the same time. The drop off in blocking prowess wouldn’t threaten teams into staying in base defense, and there really isn’t a point in throwing out of 12-personnel if the defense is in nickel. Maybe the Colts could run a bit better in that case, but the team has thrown the ball on 85% of Mallory’s career snaps at this point. That tells me all I need to know about how they feel about his run-blocking ability.
When you factor in Steichen’s tendency to stay in 11-personnel more often than not and the Colts noted concerns regarding Woods/Mallory as run blockers, I don’t think we see too many packages with Warren as the best blocking tight end on the field. Warren will be the pass catcher, while Alie-Cox or Ogletree will be the second tight end on the occasional 12-personnel snaps we see in 2025.
