Indianapolis Colts: Most overrated player on Indy’s roster

The Indianapolis Colts might not flaunt a ton of star power, but they still have one of the most balanced rosters in the league. Not many teams can say this, but you can make a solid argument that the Colts’ offense is more talented than the defense, and vice versa.

From studs like defensive tackle Grover Stewart, cornerback Kenny Moore, and safety Khari Willis on defense, to tackle Braden Smith, center Ryan Kelly and wideout Zach Pascal on offense, there is no shortage of unheralded contributors on this roster.

Each player we just rattled off deserved a spot on the list, but Mo Alie-Cox might just be the most overlooked of them all. In fact, Pro Football Focus just published an article identifying the most underrated player on every team in the NFL and Alie-Cox happened to get the nod for Indy.

To their credit, PFF hit the nail right on the head here, as the former college basketball star showed flashes of brilliance last season despite still struggling for playing time.

This topic got us thinking. With it settled that Alie-Cox is arguably the most undervalued player on the Colts’ roster, who qualifies as their most overrated player? We managed to narrow it down to two players, and the final verdict might not thrill fans.

Who’s the most overrated player on the Colts’ loaded roster?

Forgive us, Colts fans, but we have to expose Jack Doyle as the single most overrated player on Indianapolis’ roster. The veteran tight end has been a valiant servant to the organization over his eight-year tenure, but the three-year, $21 million extension he inked in 2019 is looking more and more like a mistake from general manager Chris Ballard.

There’s a reason we identified Doyle as a potential cap casualty this offseason, folks. If not for Ballard’s unrivaled ability to cultivate a roster and manage finances, there’s no doubting the Colts would’ve cut bait with the 31-year-old at the start of the new league year. Since they could afford to keep him around for another year, they didn’t exercise that option.

The fact of the matter is fans would be hard-pressed to claim Doyle still deserves to be the starting tight end, let alone still hold a roster spot. Over the last three seasons (36 games), the former undrafted talented has tallied 92 receptions for 944 yards and nine touchdowns.

Some of the league’s elite tight ends (like Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Darren Waller) have proven capable of posting those numbers in one year…let alone over three seasons.

For context, Doyle hauled in 80 catches (!) on 108 targets for 690 yards and four scores alone across 15 games back in 2017, his undisputed best season as a pro. Since then, Doyle has struggled with injuries and hasn’t been a reliable contributor in the passing game.

While the two-time Pro Bowler doesn’t get enough appreciation for his contributions in the blocking department, the fact he played over 50% of the offensive snaps last season and registered just 23 catches for 253 yards kind of proves our point, no?

We don’t doubt that Doyle, who still has two years left on his contract, can be an effective player for the Colts, but there was really no other player deserving of the “most overrated player on the roster” label…though cornerback Rock Ya-Sin was a close second.

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