When rookie tight end Tyler Warren's name was called on draft night, making him a member of the Indianapolis Colts, the fanbase was ecstatic. Finally, the team had added the elite tight end that would change their offense (or so they hoped). Today, the faith placed in Tyler Warren proved to be one that was well chosen.
Tyler Warren was arguably the best player on the field for the Colts' offense today. Head coach Shane Steichen used him in just about every way imaginable, even lining the budding star up at fullback to convert a third and short early on in the game.
Warren finished with a line of seven catches for 76 yards, along with the aforementioned carry for a short gain. Warren made plays early and often, and as the Dolphins' defense adjusted to finally stop the rookie, it opened up other receivers for quarterback Daniel Jones (who also had an impressive day).
Indianapolis Colts' Tyler Warren could already be a top five NFL tight end
Let's see the list, shall we? Brock Bowers has earned a place in the top five, along with players like TJ Hockenson, Sam LaPorta, and George Kittle. But after those four players? The list becomes a lot more open-ended. Can we really say for certain that a 35-year-old Travis Kelce or a declining Mark Andrews is going to be better than Warren this year?
Aside from a solidified upper echelon of tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), there's no tight end in the league that can't at least be argued to be in the same tier of player as Tyler Warren already is. The craziest part of it all is that Warren has only just played his first NFL game.
The transition from college to the NFL is one that is traditionally hard on tight ends, and yet Warren is already making his presence known.
The Colts have an offense that features Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman, Adonai Mitchell, and Tyler Warren. There's no more stretching the truth to say that this team has an elite offensive bevy of weapons. This team will go as high as quarterback Daniel Jones can take them, but if Warren can prove to be yet another elite offensive option for the team, his job will be made a lot easier.
Tyler Warren hasn't proved himself to be among the very best at his position in the league after just one game, but no one can argue that he didn't show signs that he can grow to become that. The Miami Dolphins are by no means a great defense (or even a good one), but this offense has too much talent not to be formidable.
Time will tell if this Week 1 drubbing of the Dolphins is a true indicator of how good this Colts team can be or just a flash in the pan against a bad team, but as the old adage goes, you can only play who you play. Tyler Warren did just that, and Colts fans should be ecstatic to watch the rest of the season unfold for him to show what he can do.