Colts' Tight Ends Must Produce in Playoff Push

The Indianapolis Colts need all of their pass-catchers producing at a high level to ensure a potent offense down the stretch.

Drake Wally | Dec 14, 2023

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Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts took a nasty loss to the Cincinnati Bengals to end their four-game win streak. The final score was a brutal 34-14, which arguably showcased the worst performance of the 7-6 Colts for 2023.

However, this season, a certain offensive group of players hasn’t performed as well as previously expected, resulting in receivers like Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs needing to shoulder the passing game.

This group is the tight ends. Even without starter Jelani Woods up to this point in the year, there were higher expectations for this group to help make more plays given that Gardner Minshew is far more limited at QB than Anthony Richardson, needing the help through the air.

With this in mind, let’s dive into each of the four players occupying Tom Manning’s area of the depth chart and break down what they’ve done through 13 games and what can improve to help this offense finish in a playoff spot.

Kylen Granson

Biggest Need for Improvement: Consistency as a Receiving Threat

Arguably the most effective tight end in Shane Steichen’s offense through the year so far, Kylen Granson has looked, at times, like the answer at the position.

However, it’s the “at times” that is the issue. Through his first six games, Granson would grab 16 catches for 170 receiving yards and a TD. While these numbers aren’t electric, he was consistent, grabbing at least two passes per contest during that time.

But, through his last five games played, Granson has a mere six catches for 94 receiving yards. This has also been during some bad offensive performances, with both the New England Patriots (10) and the Bengals (14) holding the Colts to their lowest point totals of the year.

Granson is the leader of the tight ends for now and needs to play better as a pass-catching option. The three-year NFL vet’s best skills are as a receiver, and he has to get the ball rolling again. His ability to separate will be crucial to helping Minshew get in rhythm to finish the year.

Mo Alie-Cox

Biggest Need for Improvement: Consistency as a Receiving Threat

Colts veteran tight end Mo Alie-Cox has played well as a red zone weapon and decent as a blocker but isn’t much else to this offense. Similar to Granson, his biggest issue is consistency as a receiver, only with fewer snaps.

Through 13 games, Alie-Cox has seven catches for 104 receiving yards and two TDs. Alie-Cox is a beast of a human, standing about 6’5” and weighing sub-270 pounds, but has struggled to be the top-tier blocker the Colts were likely hoping he would be for Steichen’s first season with the offense. The hope for his blocking success came with the lack of prowess as a pass-catching tight end, which Steichen hasn’t cured yet.

So far, Alie-Cox has a pass-blocking grade of 49.5 (31 snaps) and a run-blocking grade of 59.6 (161 snaps) throughout the season, per Pro Football Focus. While his run-block grade isn’t bad, he hasn’t been able to be anything more than a stone for the ground game at a position where the Colts need receiving playmakers, along with blockers.

While it’s clear who Alie-Cox is as a tight end this deep into his career, he still could be a bigger threat in the passing game, given the void Woods has left behind and his overall athleticism. It may not change at all, but what will likely remain is his use in the red zone.

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Drew Ogletree

Biggest Need for Improvement: Catching Efficiency %

After missing all of his rookie 2022 campaign with a torn ACL, Drew Ogletree has shown glimpses of being a legitimate threat at tight end. While his best game as a pass-catcher came in Week 4 versus the Los Angeles Rams (three catches for 48 receiving yards and a TD), Ogletree has also been good when asked to pick up blocking duties throughout the season.

Through his ten games, Ogletree has an impressive 79.4 pass-blocking grade (17 snaps) but also a solid 62.9 run-blocking grade (147 snaps). While rookie Will Mallory technically has the best run-blocking of the TEs (64.4), he’s also seen a mere 17 run-blocking snaps.

Ogletree’s only knock so far, outside of getting more involved in the passing game like the others, is his catching efficiency. So far, he’s only grabbed nine of his 20 targets, resulting in a bad 45% mark.

While 20 targets isn’t an enormous quantity, when nine catches complement those, it shows in the worst way. Can Ogletree be more like his Week 4 self? We’ll see as the most important games play out for the Colts.

Will Mallory

Biggest Need for Improvement: More Targets

This may seem like a weird entry for an improvement, but Mallory has seen a small sample size of 113 offensive snaps while ranking second out of the group in catches with 13. He’s also seen at least two catches in the last three games, totaling nine out of his 13.

The rookie out of Miami is picking up steam for the Colts and put up the most catches by any tight end in a game this season against the Bengals with five, totaling 46 receiving yards. One other note is his catch efficiency, sitting at 13-of-20 in his first year, which is 65% and leads all Colts TEs.

With a performance as we saw against the Bengals, it may be a matter of time before Mallory sees more targets and opportunities as a quick, move tight end for Steichen’s offense.

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Published Dec 14, 2023

DRAKE WALLY

Drake Wally covers the Indianapolis Colts at Horseshoe Huddle and co-hosts the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast.