All eyes have been on Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor and when he would make his debut, but another player the team is excited about is nearing his season debut.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen shared that TE Jelani Woods is "getting closer to practice."
The Colts drafted Jelani Woods with the 73rd pick in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Woods ended his rookie season with 25 receptions for 312 yards and three touchdowns. While the 2022 Colts offense was hard to watch, Woods was one of the few bright spots throughout the season. He had multiple flashes throughout his rookie season, which gave the team and fans a lot to be excited about the TE's second year.
Unfortunately, a hamstring injury has held Woods out of most of the team's offseason programming, and it led to him being placed on IR after cutting down their roster to 53. He has missed the first seven weeks of the season, but now Steichen offered the first comments suggesting that the TE could be making his return soon.
I've been told that the new offensive staff had many plans for Woods before the injury derailing the early part of the season. The Colts have utilized TE by committee for most of the season so far, but Woods' ability as a pass catcher was evident during his rookie season.
Once the team removes Woods from the IR, a decision will have to be made at TE, as the team currently has four on the active roster.
- Kylen Granson
- Drew Ogletree
- Mo Alie-Cox
- Will Mallory
Keeping five total TEs on the active roster would be pretty rare, which makes it likely that one TE would be on the outs. The easiest choice to make would be waiving rookie Will Mallory to make room for Woods' return. I've been told that the team likes what they've seen in his limited snap counts this season. If they aren't willing to risk him to waivers, the next option would be trading a veteran like Mo Alie-Cox and rolling with the young players in the TE room.
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