The Indianapolis Colts have a very shaky situation at the tight end position going into 2023, with far more questions than answers.
Mo Alie-Cox entered last season as the assumed No. 1 tight end in Indy and was considered a breakout candidate, but he finished as TE45 in what was a thoroughly disappointing season for him.
He also unexpectedly ended up taking a back seat to two rookies, Jelani Woods and Kylen Granson, both of whom finished ahead of the veteran in production, ranking as TE35 and TE41, respectively.
The pecking order figures to be the same this year, with Woods being the best bet to emerge as the team’s top tight end, mostly thanks to his promising skill set that offers impressive athleticism and playmaking ability in the red zone.
But even Woods’ place isn’t certain, and it’s quite possible Granson becomes the top option at the position. It’s simply difficult to project what either will do, especially with neither having experience catching passes from Gardner Minshew or Anthony Richardson.
Speaking of the quarterbacks: We still don’t even know who will win the starting job, but both players no doubt have their question marks.
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Minshew, who has been a backup the last two years, has the lower ceiling in terms of long-term outlook, but he figures to be the better passer in the short term, which would give Granson and Woods a safer floor.
Back in 2019, his first season in the NFL, Minshew finished as QB20 despite missing two games, and then followed that up with a QB12 showing when he was the starter for the first seven weeks of 2020. That doesn’t exactly illicit excitement, but at least there’s a decent track record there.
Unfortunately, Minshew’s tight ends in each of those years stunk, so we can’t use either player’s production as evidence that Minshew will or won’t elevate the position.
If he wins the starting job, Richardson, who is very raw as he enters the NFL, will have major growing pains and is likely to be inconsistent, at best, as a passer, something that will force him to rely on his legs more.
If that comes to fruition, targets will be hard to come by in general, but even more so for those lower in the pecking order. Colts tight ends figure to be in a group of pass-catchers that includes wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.
The potential good news with Richardson is rookie signal-callers tend to lean on their tight ends more as safety blankets. The problem is Richardson has no history with Granson or Woods, so it’s anyone’s guess who he would lean on more, if he does so at all.
Fantasy football outlook
There are simply too many questions to trust any of these tight ends until we see more on the field. Woods is the better bet and has more upside, but both he and Granson are TE3s and should be considered late-round stash/emergency waiver options. Their best utility is in best-ball formats.