Colts' Tight End Woes Could Be Resolved with Projected Trade

The Indianapolis Colts enter the 2025 NFL Draft next week with a clear and obvious need at the tight end position, but it can't be filled with just any player.

The Colts need to find a player who is both a capable pass catcher and blocker, who rarely leaves the field, and who can allow the Colts to stay in single-tight end sets when needed. There are a few options near the top of the draft, but what if the Colts are unable to land a player of the caliber that they need? It may be time to comb the trade block in that scenario.

One name being floated is three-time Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler Mark Andrews, who CBS Sports' Shanna McCarriston suggests could be a fit for the Colts.

"The Colts struggled in the tight end position last season, ranking No. 31 in yards with 467 total from their TEs," McCarriston wrote. "Indy doesn't have a solid quarterback situation heading into 2025, and whether it's Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson, the offense could use a veteran pass catcher like Andrews to boost production. Last season, Kylen Granson led the team among tight ends, coming in at just 14 total receptions with 182 yards. 

Andrews signed a four-year, $56 million extension in 2021 that now has one year and $16.9 million remaining. The price tag of the nearly 30-year-old mixed with the emergence of fellow tight end Isaiah Likely has made Andrews somewhat expendable for Baltimore.

Andrews got off to a slow start to the 2024 season following a car accident in August, but he ultimately finished the season with 673 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns. In total, he has 436 receptions for 5,530 yards (12.7 avg.) and 51 touchdowns in his career, which makes him arguably the most prolific pass-catcher in Ravens franchise history.

Statistically, the Colts' tight end room was the second-least-productive unit in the NFL in 2024. There were actually 25 individual tight ends across the league who had more receiving yards by themselves than the 467 yards that the entirety of the Colts' tight ends produced.

Kylen Granson was the Colts' leading receiving tight end but departed in free agency for the Philadelphia Eagles. Co-starter Mo Alie-Cox was recently re-signed by the Colts, but has a single-season career-high of 394 receiving yards back in 2020.

The Colts' current tight ends also feature Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory -- who have 40 career receptions between them -- as the other top two returning players. Jelani Woods, Albert Okwuegbunam, and Sean McKeon round out the group.