The 2023 NFL season is quickly approaching for the Indianapolis Colts and the rest of the league. With one preseason game down, Indy has two more, along with two weeks of joint practices, before the team turns it’s attention to the regular season. This time will help the Colts finalize which 53 men they’ll carry into the regular season.
While several players will be cut ahead of the regular season, training camp is also the time of the year where teams make last-minute trades just before the season. As Indy trims its roster, there may be some players that the team decideds to move.
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report thinks Indianapolis has a player that should be traded. In a recent piece looking at one player that each team should trade before the season starts, Holder named veteran tight end Mo Alie-Cox as the player that the Colts should move.
Should Colts trade Mo Alie-Cox?
Holder’s argument for trading Alie-Cox was simple: “the Indianapolis Colts have way too many tight ends on the roster.” It’s true, Indy currently has nine tight ends on the roster. Alie-Cox has been with Indy the longest, spending his entire six-year career with Indy, and he and Pharaoh Brown are the oldest, both being 29.
However, as Holder highlights, the young tight ends for the Colts appear to have a much brighter future than Alie-Cox, while also having youth on their side. Both Jelani Woods and Kylen Granson were more productive for Indy last season, and with guys like Andrew Ogletree and Will Mallory, it’s clear why Alie-Cox’s name would come up in trade talk.
In five seasons with the Colts, Mo Alie-Cox has played in 74 games, catching 89 passes for 1,125 yards and 11 touchdowns. While Alie-Cox has improved since his rookie season, he hasn’t established himself as a lead tight end. If he can’t do that throughout this year’s training camp and preseason, his time in Indy may be coming to an end.