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INDIANAPOLISWe are inching closer and closer to the 2021 NFL football season.

It’s time to pick back up our ‘burning questions’ series on 1075TheFan.com.

Here are our burning questions at the tight end position heading into the 2021 Training Camp:

 

1. Is Jack Doyle The Zach Ertz For Carson Wentz?

The 2020 campaign was an interesting one for Jack Doyle.

He averaged less than 2 catches and 20 yards per game, numbers he hasn’t seen so low since 2015.

But in the playoff loss to the Bills, there was the reliable Doyle catching 7 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Now, the 31-year-old Doyle welcomes another new quarterback in Carson Wentz.

The arrival of Wentz brings a QB that has used the tight end position pretty well in his NFL career.

Do we see Doyle climb in the production chart a bit with Wentz loving to throw balls down the seam?

STAT TO NOTE: Jack Doyle, who joined the Colts in 2013, is the second longest tenured Colt on the roster (T.Y. Hilton was drafted by Indy in 2012).

 

2. Will Mo Alie-Cox Entrench Himself Moving Forward? 

This is a sneaky question regarding the present, and future, at the tight end position.

Doyle is 31, has two years left on his contract, and has acknowledged that he thinks about his future after each season (but is still loving life in the NFL).

Alie-Cox, 27, is a free agent this year.

It would be great for the Colts if the former VCU basketballer took another step forward and solidified himself as a three-down tight end.

We’ve seen flashes from Alie-Cox and the physically imposing presence that he is at tight end.

If he can put it together, the Colts would have a tight end of the future, which is key at such an important position in Frank Reich’s offense.

STAT TO NOTE: In September last year, Mo Alie-Cox combined for 10 catches for 171 yards in three games.

 

3. What Will Be The Rookie Role For Kylen Granson?

The only, somewhat, substantial pass catching addition the Colts made this past offseason was a 4th round pick to tight end Kylen Granson.

While the Colts won’t need Granson to log 75-80 percent of the team’s offensive snaps from Day One, it would be wise for them to carve out a specific role.

The Colts think Granson can be a matchup problem given his speed and separation ability.

Granson’s play time might be just 15-20 plays per game.

In that time though, the Colts will likely try and feature Granson some in those 1-on-1 looks, if a defense is going to put a linebacker or safety on him.

Think some of what Trey Burton did for the Colts last season when projecting Granson’s rookie outlook.

STAT TO NOTE: After transferring to SMU in 2019, Granson had 14 touchdowns and 1,258 yards in his final two seasons of college football.

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