The Indianapolis Colts still have some roster decisions to make. Many teams might have most of their spots known, but with Indy, it gets murkier. Due to injuries, the team has had to revamp its secondary, for instance. Some players might be playing for their careers on Saturday versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
That includes veteran tight end Jelani Woods. The odd part is calling Woods a veteran. By the number of years he has been with the team, he is. By the number of years he has actually played, he still is, but barely. Because of various injuries, Woods hasn't played in two seasons.
This means he has lost ground on the depth chart. He currently sits at fourth or fifth among tight ends. Rookie sensation Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, and Drew Ogletree are locks to make the team. Woods could be in a battle with Will Mallory for the final TE spot.
Jelani Woods could be playing in his final Indianapolis Colts game versus the Bengals
Woods' issue is two-fold. Mallory has had some injury issues before, too, but nothing like Woods. The Colts might feel safer keeping Mallory on the roster than Woods because they assume Mallory will be available for more games.
Mallory has also had a better training camp overall than Woods. Both are decent in pass-blocking, but that shouldn't matter as much. If Indy is throwing the ball, then it's likely that the tight ends are out in patterns. Therefore, run-blocking might be one of the things that forces head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard's tight end decision.
Mallory is the far better run-blocker. As Indianapolis is likely going to run the ball quite a bit, Mallory would be more valuable than Woods. Plus, while Woods is healthy now, there is no guarantee he will be by Week 3.
His injury history is the part that hurts him the most. He probably has a better chance of landing on the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad than signing with another team. Other teams will be scared off because they cannot trust the tight end to play in games.
Still, should Woods completely show out against the Bengals as a receiver, he still has the power to change minds on roster decisions. The Colts are not likely to keep five tight ends, however, so if Jelani Woods doesn't play well against Cincinnati, he very well could be playing in his final game in the NFL.