In the 2025 offseason, the Indianapolis Colts had a lot of questions to ask themselves. Was quarterback Anthony Richardson truly the answer as QB1, for instance? How might the secondary be made better? The team took some gambles, and they paid off wonderfully in Week 1.
But one week does not a season make. Daniel Jones was fantastic against the terrible Miami Dolphins, but that could swiftly change against a good Denver Broncos defense in Week 2. Or Jones could excel again and put pressure on general manager Chris Ballard to start thinking about an extension with the quarterback.
But one move that paid out massively in Week 1 is probably only going to continue to pay dividends. The Colts chose tight end Tyler Warren at the 14th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Warren was extremely productive in his last year in college and had great physical attributes, but the team could have gone in a different direction.
Tyler Warren immediately impactful for the Indianapolis Colts
Indy needed a true No. 1 receiver and a very good cornerback. Those players were still on the draft board when Warren was selected.
Indianapolis could have gone with wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, for instance. The Ohio State product fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19, and he was very good in the Bucs' first game. The receiver had four catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns.
But the Colts really needed a play-making tight end for the first time in years, and Warren is going to be that. He made an immediate impact in Week 1 with three catches on the first drive and seven overall. He didn't score a touchdown, but four of his catches were for first downs.
In 2024, Denver gave up the ninth-most catches to tight ends. The five touchdowns scored by TEs were the 13th-most in the league. Those numbers do not guarantee that Tyler Warren is going to be successful in Week 2, but they certainly imply he has a good chance.
In fact, because of the Indianapolis Colts' injuries on defense heading into Week 2, the offense might have to once again be excellent to give the team a chance at its second-straight victory. For that to happen, Warren might be even more involved in the game plan. He showed in his first game that he is going to be very good. He could be great in his second outing.