The Indianapolis Colts unequivocally have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, which speaks volumes when you consider how young their collective age is.
Because of their youth, the Colts are set up to win for the foreseeable future, and their championship window will open even further as soon as they get some of their cornerstone pieces, like Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard, locked down long term.
We’d argue that the likes of Nelson and Leonard don’t get the level of national recognition their talent justifies, but that’s simply the consequence of being in the Indianapolis market compared to a city like New York, Dallas, Los Angeles or Chicago.
So, if superstars like Nelson and Leonard are already getting overlooked by the media, you can only imagine how some of the unsung heroes on the Colts are being treated. That got us thinking: who are some Colts players that aren’t getting enough respect entering 2021?
These three Colts players should be getting more respect.
3. Mo Alie-Cox
While we’ve been advocating for the Colts to trade for Zach Ertz, we’ve been equally consistent in our backing of Mo Alie-Cox. That might not make sense to some fans, but it just feels like Indy doesn’t trust the latter as much as they should, so why not bring in a proven commodity?
The start of last season indicated the Colts were finally going to unleash Alie-Cox, but he ultimately ended up playing just 46% of the offensive snaps, which seems criminal given how productive he was when he was on the field.
Despite having a limited role, however, Alie-Cox proved to be a dominant blocker and sure-handed target for quarterback Philip Rivers. In 15 games (six starts), the 27-year-old tight end hauled in 31 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns.
Colts: Alie-Cox deserves to be treated like a No. 1 tight end.
Those are impressive numbers when you remember that Alie-Cox was battling the likes of Jack Doyle and Trey Burton for playing time. To put it simply, the former VCU basketball star is the best tight end on the Colts’ roster, and his snap count better reflect that next season…assuming the team doesn’t trade for Ertz.
Alie-Cox’s 12.7 yards per reception last year ranked third on the team for players who logged at least 30 catches. He also managed a 79.5% catch rate and his 1.9 yards per route was the highest on the Colts, according to Pro Football Focus.
As if that wasn’t enough to prove Alie-Cox deserves more respect, no other player on the roster had a higher win rate in pass protection. We’re not sure what Indy’s plans are for Alie-Cox, but he’d be fully justified to test free agency next offseason if his role doesn’t increase in 2021.