Source: Michael Hickey / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – It’s a position group with no in-house free agents, several draft picks invested into it and some off the field issues that can’t be ignored.
But Chris Ballard sounds pretty bullish on the Colts tight end room moving forward, even if it lacks a definite No. 1 guy.
“I think their skillsets are kind of different,” the Colts GM says of the team’s tight ends. “Do we have an elite tight end, like a (Travis) Kelce? No. But what we have is a good room, with some pretty good players that all have a different skillset.”
Draft pick investment from Ballard has certainly occurred at tight end in recent years.
A 3rd round pick on Jelani Woods. A 4th round pick for Kylen Granson. A 5th round pick on Will Mallory. A 6th round pick on Drew Ogletree.
Mo Alie-Cox is the veteran of the group, someone Ballard has always been a huge fan of. While Alie-Cox is making $5.4 million, Ballard continues to offer public praise there, despite the veteran tight end having caught just 32 balls in 34 games the last two years.
Woods is coming off hamstring issues that sidelined him for the entire 2023 season.
Thought to be a potential breakout player in 2023, Woods’ second NFL season ended up coming to a conclusion in training camp.
Still though, the Colts remain very high on the big man.
“Not having Jelani Woods, who we had big hopes for with him being hurt all year, this new staff doesn’t even know who he is,” Ballard explained at the Combine. “They haven’t had a chance to really work with him. And we think he has some upside.
“He really has a unique skillset because of his length and his ability to run and stretch the field. He’s really good when you are talking about the shallows, the seam routes, the dovers, the long crossers you can run with him. And he’s a big target for the quarterback so getting him back will be a big add.”
No one truly emerged atop the tight end depth chart lats season.
Yes, as Ballard said, several different tight ends stepped up at various points in the season, but Granson leading the group with 30 catches is not something you see from No. 1 tight ends (Granson ranked 31st among all NFL tight ends in catches last year).
Off the field issues for Ogletree had Ballard pretty mum on him when describing the individuals in that room. It was announced this week that domestic violence changes for Ogletree have been dismissed, but he remains on the commissioner’s exempt list, with the Colts needing to eventually make a decision on him.
Still, Ballard likes the sum of its parts in a tight end room he’s spent notable draft picks, especially when you consider the positional value of TE.
“I think in totality it ended up being a productive room for us,” the GM says. “When you add up what everyone did together it ended up being productive room. We don’t necessarily have a (George) Kittle or a (Travis) Kelce but we have really good players in that they all have a little bit different skillset in what they can do.”
Of course, is Georgia TE-Brock Bowers a guy Ballard would view as giving his room a Kittle or a Kelce?
Or is Ballard content with what he’s already invested at tight, and hoping Woods stays healthy in 2024 to show more of his potential?
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Chris Ballard Fan Of Colts Tight End Room was originally published on 1075thefan.com
