Colts: 3 Jack Doyle trades that make sense for Indy

Here are three trades the Colts should consider for tight end Jack Doyle.

Now that Trey Burton has been activated off injured reserve and is seemingly fully healthy, the Indianapolis Colts have a surplus of tight ends.

While it’s currently unclear whether Burton or Jack Doyle will emerge as the preferred No. 2 option for Philip Rivers, what we do know is that third-year pro Moe Alie-Cox is the undisputed starter in light of his scorching hot start to the season.

Through three games, the former VCU basketball star has dominated in lieu of the team’s expected starters. He’s also been one of the most dominant blocking tight ends in the league, earning a staggering 93.3 grade from Pro Football Focus. To put it simply, Alie-Cox has the starting spot locked down.

We know the Colts love utilizing their tight ends in the passing game, but it would make zero sense for them to keep three serviceable players at the position on the roster. That brings up the burning question: Should Burton or Doyle be kept ahead of the 2020 trade deadline?

The Colts’ coaching staff clearly thinks highly of Burton, so we seriously doubt they would unload him before his one-year contract expires at the end of the season. Doyle, on the other hand, hasn’t offered much following Andrew Luck’s retirement and his deal runs through the 2022 campaign.

Doyle checks all the boxes in terms of a player who should be dealt midseason, so let’s dive into a few realistic trades general manager Chris Ballard could pull off prior to the end of October.

3. Doyle to the Cardinals

By acquiring all-world wideout DeAndre Hopkins from Houston this past offseason, the Cardinals proved they are willing to build around young quarterback Kyler Murray. Hopkins is quite literally the perfect complement to the likes of Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald, so Arizona doesn’t have to do more — at least not before the conclusion of the season — to upgrade its receiving corps.

The same, however, cannot be said for the tight end position, as former undrafted talent Dan Arnold has been manning down the starting spot. Through three games, he’s posted just five receptions for 58 yards while playing 59% of the offensive snaps.

We get that Hopkins is a stud, but the fact that he has 46 targets across the first four weeks just speaks to the Cardinals’ lack of a security blanket. That’s not to say Murray is force-feeding Hopkins targets, but it’s coming very close to reaching that territory.

Doyle would make a seamless transition to Arizona’s high volume passing game and his elite blocking ability would only prove to bolster their elite rushing attack. The Colts, especially under Ballard, are renowned for hitting on late-round draft picks, so why not acquire a sixth- or seventh-rounder in exchange for an expensive player in Doyle who has fallen down the pecking order at tight end?

2. Doyle to the Packers

The Packers are the most glaring example of an NFL team failing to equip their starting quarterback with competent weapons. Not only did they pass on drafting a wide receiver (in an absolutely loaded class) in the first round back in April, but they nabbed Aaron Rodgers’ supposed successor in Jordan Love at No. 26 overall and passed on making a big splash in free agency.

Since Green Bay clearly isn’t keen on bolstering its WR corps, perhaps the front office will consider a trade for a tight end. While Robert Tonyan seems to have turned the corner in his third NFL season, do we really think he should be the top TE option for Rodgers, who is playing out of his mind right now and clearly has a Super Bowl run in mind?

Not in our eyes. Allen Lazard being sidelined indefinitely following surgery only amplifies the Packers’ glaring need to add another pass catcher. Acquiring somebody like Doyle would provide Rodgers with a reliable target in the passing game behind stud Davante Adams. To think Green Bay could pull that trade off for nothing more than a late-round draft selection makes us question why it hasn’t happened yet.

1. Doyle to the Patriots

If the Patriots have serious ambitions of competing in the AFC this season, they should absolutely be in the market for a tight end. Their wide receiving corps is one of the weakest in the NFL, and their current TE situation is somehow a lot worse.

2020 third-round picks Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi have played a minimal role (that’s being generous) through three games, and that likely isn’t to change anytime soon, as head coach Bill Belichick clearly doesn’t trust them yet. For context, the rookie tandem have combined to log zero receptions on one target.

We all know that Cam Newton loves throwing to his tight ends — look no further than his time in Carolina — but he simply doesn’t have that luxury at his disposal right now. The Patriots will fall well short of their goals in 2020 if that doesn’t change, so they should really get Indianapolis on the phone about a trade for Doyle.

The 30-year-old veteran’s contract (three years, $21 million) won’t allow the Colts to get as much as they could for him, but adding a sixth- or seventh-round draft pick isn’t an awful trade-off for a player who’s evidently been phased out of Indy’s game plan.

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