INDIANAPOLIS – The first step was impressive.
In fact, almost historic.
“It was a good start,’’ Tyler Warren said of his debut as the tight end the Indianapolis Colts have been missing.
Daniel Jones agreed. His first pass – the first offensive play dialed up – in Sunday’s 33-8 demolition of the Miami Dolphins was a 14-yard completion to his rookie.
“I think it adds a lot, for sure,’’ he said. “I think he’s a dangerous guy with the ball in his hands. He’s going to make extra yards. He’s physical. He’s going to go up and make the tough catch, a number of those things.
“So, I mean, I think he does a lot for us.’’
Shane Steichen wasted no time tapping into Warren’s versatility and playmaking ability.
There was a bit of Where’s Waldo?
Maybe he lines up alongside left tackle Bernhard Raimann. Maybe he motions wide right, either by himself or stacked with Alec Pierce. Maybe he lines up as Jonathan Taylor’s lead blocker on second-and-goal at the 2. Maybe on third-and-1 he motions from the right, sets up as a fullback to Jones’ left and takes an inside handoff for 3 yards.
“It opens up a lot of things,’’ Steichen said.
It’s a skillset that’s been lacking, at least since Jack Doyle retired after the 2021 season. And to be honest, Warren brings a level to the tight ends room that exceeds Doyle’s, who was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
General manager Chris Ballard has tried to bolster the position recently through the draft: Kylen Granson (round 4) in 2021, Jelani Woods (round 3) and Drew Ogletree (round 6) in ’22, Will Mallory (round 5) in ’23.
He then hit the lottery. After missing out on Brock Bowers by two spots in 2024 – the Las Vegas Raiders selected the two-time Mackey Award winner at No. 13 – Ballard cashed in on Warren with the 14th overall pick in April.
His impact was expected to come early, and Warren didn’t disappoint.
*7 receptions: a club record and tied for 2nd-most by a tight end in his first NFL start. Buffalo’s Keith McKeller had nine in 1997. They were 2nd-most by any tight end on opening weekend.
*76 yards: 2nd-most by a Colts rookie tight end in his first game. Coby Fleener had 82 in 2012. Only two tight ends had more yards last weekend.
*57 yards in the first half: Most by a Colts rookie tight end in his first start.
*And then there was the 3-yard run that moved the chains.
Steichen’s opening gameplan made it clear he’ll use every offensive option. Jones spread his 29 passes to six different targets, and each had at least one catch.
But Warren had a team-high nine targets.
After shrugging off linebacker Jaelen Phillips and running under Jones’ pass for a game-opening 14-yard reception, he worked off the left side, found space on the Horseshoe at midfield and gathered in an 8-yarder. On his 21-yard catch, Warren lined up left and quickly got behind linebacker Tyrel Dodson.
Linebacker coverage is a decided advantage for the 6-6, 256-pound Warren.
It’s hardly a reach to predict, barring injury, he’ll exceed club records for a rookie tight end: Dwayne Allen’s 45 receptions in 2012 and John Mackey’s 726 yards in 1963.
One of the aspects of Warren’s game that attracted the Colts during their pre-draft evaluation was his “feel’’ for the game. He had a knack for being in the right place, at the right time, and making a play.
“Some of these things you can’t coach with these guys is ‘feel,’’ Steichen said. “I think he’s got a great feel for the game. He understands football. He sees it really well. Tommy (position coach Manning) does a great job of getting him prepared every week in the tight end room with the rest of those guys.
“The preparation that he puts in, the toughness that he plays with is phenomenal. We’ve got to keep it going.’’
Jones has noticed that “feel’’ all offseason.
“A lot of that’s natural,’’ he said. “I think he’s had that since he got here in the spring. I think you saw that, just his feel for space on the field, where guys are, how to get open, looks that might not always talk about or detail because you haven’t seen them before . . . and he can figure it out on the fly and seem to do the right thing most of the time.
“He’s just a good football player.’’
Warren was asked about his “feel’’ for the game. Does that include having a grasp of the playbook that demands doing a lot? On one Taylor run, Warren lined up next to Raimann, moved to his right and wham-blocked linebacker Jordyn Brooks. It was vintage Doyle.
“I think it’s both,’’ Warren said. “I think we have a lot of good players on offense out there with me, so it makes it easier to do stuff. And Daniel’s been doing a great job of giving us the right passes, so it’s been good.’’
At first glance, the diversity was impressive. Michael Pittman Jr. had six receptions for 80 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown. On the TD, Warren lined up to the right, inside of Pittman. He ran a post that forced safety Ifeatu Melifonwu to follow him and leave cornerback Storm Duck one-on-one with Pittman.
“It helps Daniel having a lot of different options and it kind of helps us,’’ Warren said. “You can’t double everybody, right? There’s a bunch of guys I think deserve a double-team, deserve some attention, but can’t give it to everybody.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.