Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.
Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.
I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is tight end Kylen Granson. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.
2023 Season Review
Granson finished the 2023 season playing 496 snaps, the most on the team at the tight end position. Of his total snaps, 306 came on passing downs and 174 as a run-blocker.
In the passing game, Granson caught 30 of his 47 targets for 368 yards and one touchdown. He played 42 percent of his snaps from the slot and 46 percent as an in-line tight end. Granson’s 12.3 yards per catch was the fifth-highest rate among all tight ends.
“Kylen has made a bunch of plays here for us, but I am really happy with the consistency that he puts into everything he does,” tight ends coach Tom Manning said. “He is the same guy every day. His preparation is always very good and you have a very good idea of what you are going to get from Kylen when you go out to practice and gameday.”
For what it’s worth, his run-blocking grade from PFF ranked 65th out of 83 eligible tight ends.
2024 Season Preview
Granson, a 2021 fourth-round pick by the Colts, is entering the final year of his rookie deal with the team. He will once again be an important part of the Colts’ offense filling to do-it-all move tight end role.
Having a tight end who is versatile enough to be moved around the formation and who can impact both the running and passing games can add a layer of unpredictability to an offense, with that player making it more difficult for defenses to decipher pre-snap what might be coming.
“He’s got great route-running ability,” said Shane Steichen last season. “I’m really pleased where he’s at. He understands the game of football really well. He understands leverage, technique, all those different things – how to get himself open,” Steichen told reporters Thursday. “Really pleased with where he’s at and his route-running ability and also as a blocker.”
The top spot on the Colts’ tight end depth chart could be up for grabs this summer with the return of Jelani Woods, who is now fully healthy. However, as I’ve mentioned previously, with this tight end room having a variety of skill sets, several players within that room are going to see their share of playing time this season.
In addition to Granson, the Colts have Will Mallory, a 2023 fifth-round pick, who played 159 snaps last season. As Mallory continues to develop, he can fill a similar role as Granson, although it remains to be seen if Mallory will eat into Granson’s playing time this year–not to mention that with Woods, there could also be fewer opportunities in the passing game for Granson.