According to Fox Sports Peter Schrager, the Indianapolis Colts are set to receive a visit from Oakland Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera.
The 26 year old tight end is arguably one of the better tight ends still available on this year’s free agent market:
Free agent TE Mychal Rivera is leaving his visit with Jets without signing a deal. Will visit with the Colts in Indy next. @gmfb @NFLonFOX
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) March 21, 2017
Originally drafted by the Raiders in the 6th round of the 2013 NFL Draft, the 6’3″, 245 pound tight is coming off a season in which he caught 18 receptions for 192 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in 13 games (2 starts).
He served primarily as Oakland’s second tight end to up-and-comer Clive Walford after veteran Lee Smith‘s season-ending injury after Week 4.
The 4-year veteran has 146 receptions for 1,413 total receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions in 61 career games (15 starts).
Possessing pretty good speed for the tight end position–having once run a 4.81 forty time at the NFL Combine, as well as athletic ability, Rivera has always been a pretty sound receiving option.
However, at a bit undersized 245 pounds, it’s his blocking that has cost him some playing time in recent seasons.
Nevertheless, he was rated as Bleacher Report’s 15th best tight end in their NFL1000, Free Agent Tight Ends:
"“When utilized as a receiver, Rivera can be effective. He has the athletic ability to challenge secondary defenders on downfield routes such as seam routes, but he’s athletic enough to be effective underneath against linebackers on option or crossing routes. Teams that rely on a tight end to occupy the middle of the field (such as Green Bay) might consider Rivera.”“As a blocker, Rivera is solid. He was effective on the edges in both power and zone design and could be considered an option for Denver, as he can be effective in a zone-heavy scheme as well.”"
Having just signed veteran tight end Brandon Williams, it appears that the Colts are still looking to upgrade their depth at the position. Promising converted tight end Erik Swoope remains an exclusive rights free agent, while the team recently traded starter Dwayne Allen to the New England Patriots.
Right now, it looks like it’s new starter Jack Doyle, who the Colts re-signed to a 3-year, $19 million deal earlier this offseason, and some questions of who exactly will be playing as the team’s second tight end behind him come next season.
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If the Colts sign Rivera, he’d likely compete to become the team’s 2nd or 3rd-string tight end, which means that someone not named Doyle out of the group could eventually be off the roster, as the team isn’t expected to carry more than three tight ends in 2017.
Either way, it would make for theoretically ‘improved competition’, which is something that new general manager Chris Ballard has already heavily emphasized this offseason.