Indianapolis Colts' OTAs: The big question at tight end
The Indianapolis Colts will begin Phase III of the offseason programs on May 28th, which means the start of voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
Rather than only doing individual drills as the Colts have been doing, they will now be permitted to do 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 team drills, although no live contact is allowed.
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So with this important part of the offseason schedule about to begin, I wanted to highlight one big question facing each position group. Up next are the tight ends.
Below you can find our previous position previews.
All eyes will be on Indianapolis Colts' rookie tight end Tyler Warren
Okay, so that's not much of a question. I suppose one could be, how big and quick of an impact can Warren make as a rookie?
The Colts haven't had a tight end eclipse 500 receiving yards in a season since 2018. In fact, when combined, the entire Colts' tight end room didn't even hit that mark last season.
Warren can certainly provide a big boost in the passing game. He's coming off a 2024 season where he had over 100 receptions and totaled more than 1,200 receiving yards. As GM Chris Ballard discussed after the draft, Warren can be particularly impactful over the middle of the field, where his combination of size and athleticism makes him a difficult matchup.
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However, with that said, Warren's impact is going to go beyond just the passing game. He comes to the NFL as a capable run blocker, and his versatility allowed him to fill a variety of roles at Penn State, which included lining up in the backfield at times.
'This is a big man now," said area scout Chad Henry via the Indy Star. "We have a hard time, anymore, finding guys that size (at tight end), because you're looking at a bunch of 230-pound guys that are basically an extra receiver. This guy happens to be an extra receiver who can knock the crap out of people, both on the line of scrimmage and in space."
When an offense has a do-it-all presence at the tight end position, it adds some unpredictability to that unit because that player can shoulder a number of responsibilities, so defenses can't easily get a beat on what's coming based on who is on the field or where players are lined up.
This then not only creates opportunities for Warren to exploit, but for his teammates as well.
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Like any incoming rookie, there will be a learning curve for Warren, but he's in a position to make some noise right away, and that impact can go beyond just his column on the stat sheet.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Indianapolis Colts OTAs preview: All eyes on TE Tyler Warren
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