Colts training camp standout has a massive opportunity in front of him due to the team’s recent onslaught of injuries
Due to a key reserve being placed on the IR, the Colts will be giving a young player his biggest role of the season.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced on Friday that the team was placing star DT DeForest Buckner on the IR, ending his season. It seems he wasn’t the only player landing on the IR, though. The team announced two more players going on the IR as part of their roster moves for their Week 17 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The team also placed WR Anthony Gould and TE Drew Ogletree on the IR, ending their regular season. Ogletree, in particular, missing the team’s final two games opens up a significant opportunity for a player who turned heads in training camp but hasn’t gotten a chance to show what he can do in the regular season.
Colts may finally give Will Mallory some run after placing Drew Ogletree on the IR
During training camp it was evident that rookie Tyler Warren was going to have a big role this season. The second best TE during camp though was Will Mallory, especially when it came to the receiving game.
The Colts drafted Mallory with the 162nd pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. During his first two seasons, he appeared in 22 total games, and this past training camp, he looked prime for a breakout year. Instead, it’s been by far his lowest usage of his career, with him only appearing in one game through the first 16 weeks.
The team has elected to prioritize the run blocking duo of Ogletree and Mo Alie-Cox as Warren’s backups. Now, with Ogletree on the IR, an opportunity for Mallory to step up and fill that hole has appeared. I think Mallory gives the Colts a better route runner and receiving threat at TE than Ogletree, which could fit Philip Rivers’ love for throwing to TEs.
Indianapolis Colts News
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