Can the Colts keep 5 tight ends on their roster? ‘That’s a good problem to have’

The Colts may not have a single star tight end — there are no established Travis Kelce, George Kittle or Dallas Goedert on this team — but Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen believe in the overall collection of talent on their team.

The Colts’ tight ends in 2023 ranked 22nd in the NFL in total receptions (70), but 13th in receiving yards (883), 13th in touchdowns (six), 11th in first downs (47), eighth in explosive plays (23) and third in yards per reception (12.6). With the players responsible for those numbers — Alie-Cox, Granson, Mallory and Ogletree — returning, plus the opportunity for Woods to earn back his place in the offense, the Colts have a lot to like here.

“Do we have a superstar in the group? Probably not,” Ballard said. “Do we have really good players in the group? Yeah, I mean Mo Alie-Cox has a role. Ogletree has a role. Granson has a little bit of a role. Mallory, we think he’s going to do some really good things. We’ve got to look at Jelani. Jelani showed some really good things as a rookie and was injured last year. You’ve got to stay healthy and let’s see what he can do. Then you’ve got Tomlinson who’s played in this league and is a good wide-blocking tight end. So I think that’s going to work itself out over time.”

Of course, just because the Colts now have so many viable tight ends on their roster doesn’t mean they’ll all make it to 53. Nor is it a guarantee that five will. The next few weeks will be crucial for each of these players to prove themselves in the roles the Colts have in mind for them.

But if we get to training camp and the Colts have more tight ends on their roster than any other team in the NFL, that’s not a problem. It’s an advantage.

“I think with Shane and our offensive staff, they’re going to be at their strength,” Ballard said. “So if those guys have to be on the field more, 12, 13 (two tight ends, three tight ends) personnel at times, he’ll do that. He’ll do what he thinks and adapt to whatever it takes to win, but I think it’s a good group. Maybe not a superstar, but it’s a good group.”