Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox has been named the team’s most underappreciated player by NFL Network analyst Cynthia Frelund.
Frelund spoke highly of Alie-Cox’s expanded role, who’s entering his fifth season within Frank Reich’s offense, writing:
“It certainly doesn’t show up in a traditional box score, but run-blocking for tight ends, especially in run-first offenses, is extremely important — and Alie-Cox ranked 12th best in the NFL in 2021, per computer vision. Alie-Cox also hauled in four touchdowns last season, which doubled his career total prior to 2021. Look for the recently re-signed veteran to be a frequent target of Matt Ryan, as the Colts’ new quarterback is at his best when working with a dominant tight end.”
Alie-Cox has played a significant role within the Colts’ offense over the last few seasons, and he’s got the numbers to show for it.
In 2021, Alie-Cox caught a career-high four touchdowns on 24 receptions for 316 yards while averaging 13.2 yards per reception, the second-highest total of his career.
Over the previous two seasons, the 6’6” tight end has drastically increased his productivity— especially in the red zone, as he piled up 710 receiving yards to go along with six touchdowns.
The Colts recently signed their big red zone target to a new three-year contract extension, which tells you they believe Alie-Cox is only going to continue to improve.
Additionally, Alie-Cox could perhaps see more playing time as a run-blocker in 2022, given his familiarity with the offense and retirement of the team’s top-notch run-blocking tight end, Jack Doyle.
With rookie tight end Jelani Woods added to the mix, he and Alie-Cox could provide the Colts’ offense and new quarterback Matt Ryan with some advantages this season, especially in the red zone and on crucial downs.