It wasn't a win; it wasn't a loss, but the Indianapolis Colts still got a good amount of clarity from Thursday night's 13-13 preseason tie against the New England Patriots. With training camp less than a week from closing down, the preseason games will be the final window for the Colts to make a list of important decisions.
Position battles also continued in the Colts game against the Patriots, and one was particularly surprising and may have taken a sharp turn from the expected plan. Colts' nine-year veteran Mo Alie-Cox has been a reliable and stable backup option at tight end for the Colts for several years, but the emergence of another tight end showed signs of someone coming for someone else's job.
Currently, it goes Tyler Warren, Alie-Cox, and Drew Ogletree in the Colts' tight end depth chart, but three-year player Will Mallory made some headlines on Thursday that could force an argument that he should move up the depth chart. In fact, his first preseason action showed he might be significantly better than his spot on the depth chart suggests.
Indianapolis Colts' Will Mallory is coming for Mo Alie-Cox's job at backup tight end
For a fourth tight end on an NFL depth chart, leaping all the way up to second isn't an easy task, and if Mallory achieves that, it will be because he earned it. The Colts have hung on to Alie-Cox for as long as they have because he's a solid depth player, blocks hard, and has remained a source of stability behind the Colts' starting tight end for many seasons.
That said, Indianapolis hasn't been too closely attached to him, given the one-year deals they keep giving the veteran. It's almost likely that this will be Alie-Cox's last season with the Colts, which would open the door for Mallory to move up. That said, what if Mallory is forcing that door to open up sooner?
Against the Patriots, Mallory hauled in six catches for 80 yards (including a 19-yard reception), which led all Colts' pass catchers. The numbers aside, Mallory was also spectacular in his route running and consistently won his matchups.
There's no reason to overreact to one preseason performance, but it was Mallory's best preseason production since his rookie season. Furthermore, today, Mallory has significantly more upside and a higher ceiling than Alie-Cox or Ogletree, who is also ahead of Mallory on the depth chart. If Mallory can have another performance like Thursday's again, he might force some more attention his way.
Should Colts head coach Shane Steichen feel moved to shake up his tight end roster, Mallory's display of how big a problem he can be for defenses was real against the Patriots. Not to mention, he's a better pass-catching threat than Alie-Cox or Ogletree, who are better blockers than receivers.
The time may be now to move Mallory up and see more of what he can do, which means the pressure is on him and those he's chasing from behind.
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