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Heading into the 2022 season, the Indianapolis Colts will witness a changing of the guard in some sort as Mo Alie-Cox is expected to be the starting tight end.
Following the retirement of veteran Jack Doyle, the Colts signed Alie-Cox to a three-year extension—a deal that was very similar to the one Doyle received in 2020.
Entering his first season as the expected starter, Alie-Cox was named the Colts’ most under-appreciated player on the roster, in the eyes of Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com
APY: $5.85 million (23rd among tight ends).
It certainly doesn’t show up in a traditional box score, but run-blocking for tight ends, especially in run-first offenses, is extremely important — and Alie-Cox ranked 12th best in the NFL in 2021, per computer vision. Alie-Cox also hauled in four touchdowns last season, which doubled his career total prior to 2021. Look for the recently re-signed veteran to be a frequent target of Matt Ryan, as the Colts’ new quarterback is at his best when working with a dominant tight end.
Alie-Cox is expected to move into the starting Y role in the offense. It’s a role that comes with a lot of responsibility both as an inline blocker and a receiver.
Alie-Cox has always let his size, athleticism and gargantuan hand size do the blocking work for him. It’s why he’s considered one of the best run-blocking tight ends in the NFL.
Making developments to his route running as a receiver is where he can bring his game to the next level. The athleticism is already there, and he’s shown plenty of flashes when it comes to improvements in that area of his game.
Now, it’s just about putting it all together as he enters the prime of his career as a tight end.
Alie-Cox’s role as the starter should go mostly unthreatened in 2022, but he will certainly be looking to make his case as the long-term starter at the position with a strong campaign, considering the Colts can get out of the contract easily following the 2023 season.
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