Five Tight Ends That The Colts Could Target in Free Agency
The Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for arguably the most important offseason of the Chris Ballard tenure. After a disappointing 2021 season, and with major questions still at the quarterback position, this front office needs a home run offseason to get back on track.
The first order of business in the offseason is free agency. Ballard mostly sat out of this phase in 2021, as he only signed four players that would make the opening day roster (Isaac Rochell, Eric Fisher, Antwaun Woods, and Julie'n Davenport). Of those four signings, only Fisher saw real action as a starter for a majority of the season.
While this is an offseason that will, hopefully, change Ballard's mindset a little bit when it comes to free agency, I highly doubt that he starts dealing out massive contracts to top free agents. In his five years with the Colts, Ballard has only signed one outside free agent to a contract worth more than 10 million dollars a year (Justin Houston in 2019).
With all that in mind, this new series for the site will try to identify some potential fits for the Colts in free agency without just listing all the 15+ million dollar a year players that Ballard will never look at.
The next position we are going to look at is the tight end position. The Colts could potentially be looking for two players at this spot this offseason, with uncertainty surrounding the return of Jack Doyle and/or Mo Alie-Cox.
Today, I dive into five players that the Colts could pursue in free agency to fill this void:
C.J Uzomah | Cincinnati Bengals
My favorite target for the Colts at tight end is veteran C.J Uzomah. Uzomah is coming off of a breakout season with the Bengals where he caught 80% of his targets as the fourth option in the offense.
Uzomah has always been a productive player in the NFL, but he took it to another level in 2021. He hauled in 64 passes for 639 yards and six touchdowns on the year. He also had a strong year as a run blocker, leading the way for one of the best rushing teams in the NFL.
With Uzomah, the Colts would be getting one of the league's better all-around tight ends that can do everything at a high level. He would add another explosive element to the passing game while being able to hold his own as a run blocker.
Pro Football Focus currently projects him to get a three year, 25 millions dollar deal and I think the Colts should absolutely inquire at that price.
Zach Ertz | Arizona Cardinals
Zach Ertz has been rumored to be on Indy's radar for the last few years now. With Ertz finally hitting free agency, it only seems fitting that he will be on the Colts' radar.
I reported last offseason that the Colts were interested in trading for the veteran tight end prior to last season. Ertz's relationship with Frank Reich is strong and the two still communicate to this day.
Eartz was eventually dealt to the Cardinals, where he went on to have a mini-resurgence with the explosive offense. He finished the year with 784 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
For the Colts, Ertz would bring a veteran presence to the tight end group that understands how to find space in a defense. He may not be a dynamic receiving threat, but he would be an excellent chain-mover that is reliable in the pass game.
David Njoku | Cleveland Browns
Now if the Colts want to go with a truly dynamic player, David Njoku would be a fun option to pursue. While he never truly became the number one tight end that Cleveland hoped he would, he is still an interesting name to look at.
He finished this past season with 475 yards receiving and four touchdowns in the highly dysfunctional Browns' offense. He also had his best season as a run blocker in 2021, as he received high grades from Pro Football Focus for his efforts.
Signing Njoku would be very similar to when the Colts brought in Eric Ebron back in 2018. It would be a bet on upside with a former first round pick. I truly believe that Njoku can be a true tight end one in the right scheme with his ability.
Will Dissly | Seattle Seahawks
Will Dissly is a player that has had his career derailed a bit by injuries. He appeared to be on the verge of becoming a legit receiving option during his first two years, but major injuries to his knee and his achilles set him back massively.
Since then, his career has been marred by inconsistency and more injuries. That is why I think Dissly could be an interesting buy-low option to replace Jack Doyle's role in the offense.
Dissly is a phenomenal run blocker that has always had a sky-high catch rate in the passing game. He shouldn't cost much at all on the open market, which could intrigue the Colts to take a chance on his skill set.
Tyler Conklin | Minnesota Vikings
One of the more surprising breakout players in the league, Tyler Conklin had an outstanding 2021 season. While having a career total of just 334 yards receiving in his first three seasons, Conklin exploded for 593 yards and three touchdowns this past year.
While he is far from a dynamic or flashy athlete, Conklin showed excellent ability as an all-around tight end. He is a superb run blocker that has great hands in traffic.
There should be a decent market for the breakout tight end, but it shouldn't be anything too crazy that the Colts would avoid. If the Colts strike out on some of the bigger names in this class, I really like Conklin as a solid fallback option.
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
