When the Indianapolis Colts take on the New England Patriots to begin the 2026 preseason, rookie Carson Towt will presumably be getting some reps at tight end. He needs them, too. That is because Towt is about to do something he has never done: Play a football game.
It is rare for any player to have their first contest come in the NFL. Oddly, for the Colts to give a tight end that kind of chance isn't uncommon, though. Fellow tight end Mo Alie-Cox also didn't play football when he attended Virginia Commonwealth, either. Like Towt, he played basketball.
Alie-Cox has carved out a nice career for himself. He has spent eight seasons with Indianapolis, catching 127 passes and 16 touchdowns. What he does best is block while also being somewhat of a threat with crossing patterns.
Indianapolis Colts rookie Carson Towt will play his first football game ever against the Patriots
That is important because for Towt to succeed, he needs to follow Alie-Cox's career path and work ethic. The older tight end knew that he wasn't going to show up to training camp in 2018 and assume he had a roster spot. Far from that, but in 2026, he likely does. He's earned it.
Hopefully, the same happens with Towt, who was signed as an undrafted free agent and likely found the best fit he could with Indianapolis. The Colts don't mind taking a chance on a basketball player with solid athleticism, one who also played a physical brand of basketball when he was at Notre Dame.
Towt, you see, doesn't mind contact. In fact, he relishes it to a degree. Boxing out in basketball has some of the same elements as blocking in football, and Towt was a historically great rebounder in college. The question is whether he can take what he has learned in training camp and apply that learning when faced with playing a team that isn't wearing the same jersey.
The New England Patriots, whom the Indianapolis Colts play on Thursday in each team's first preseason game, held a joint practice with Indy, but that mostly involved situational plays with the starters. Backups didn't play a meaningful part in the practice.
In the game, though, most of the starters won't participate, which leaves more reps for players like Carson Towt who are probably hanging on to the bottom of the roster. This isn't a problem for the former basketball player, but an immense opportunity.
Towt, in his first football game ever, can show he can be a force on special teams and maybe catch a pass or two. If he can do those things exceedingly well, he might find that he is listed fourth on the tight end depth chart when final roster cuts are made on August 30.
Add us as a preferred source on Google