The Indianapolis Colts have a solid history of great tight ends. The issue is that in recent years, there has been an absence of pass-catching quality at the position. The team hoped that would change when Indy took Tyler Warren with the 14th pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
So far, so good. Warren tied an NFL record (Harold Fannin, Jr. also did the same for the Cleveland Browns in Week 1) for a tight end in his first game with seven catches. Warren had three on the first drive alone.
One might wonder just how many catches Warren would have had if the Colts did not have the other quality skill position players they have, such as wide receiver Michael Pittman. 10 definitely would have been a possibility for the tight end because the Miami Dolphins showed no signs of being able to stop him.
Indianapolis Colts' Tyler Warren gets high praise from Broncos head coach Sean Payton
Next up for Warren and Indianapolis is a much better team, the Denver Broncos. Denver has a very good defense and knows how to limit the chance of even the best offensive players. But Broncos head coach Sean Payton is a big fan of the Indy tight end.
Payton told reporters this week, "We liked him (in the draft). He was different than maybe a couple of the other tight ends, but he’s big, rugged, physical, strong. Clearly, you can come up with a number of visions for all the things he does."
Indianapolis Colts fans likely envision all of the things Tyler Warren will do for their favorite team well into the future. The rookie wasn't just hyped this past offseason by draft gurus and fellow players, but he backed it up with great play in Week 1.
The truth is that Warren doesn't yet know what he doesn't know. He will learn from getting more experience in the NFL, and he is already excellent. Every rookie has ups and downs, though Tylker Warren's dips might be less deep than most others. The Broncos might find a way to reduce his number of opportunities, for instance.
Or maybe Denver focuses too much on Warren, and that frees up Daniel Jones and the Colts offense to run the ball exceedingly effectively. That would be a great way to beat the Broncos and move to 2-0. With Warren, all things are possible.