Colts Activate Tight End from IR Ahead of Titans Matchup

Indianapolis Colts fourth-year tight end Will Mallory was a consistent playmaker throughout training camp. He followed that up with a big performance in the preseason opener, leading all players in the game with six catches for 80 yards.

Excitement was finally building for the young pass-catcher to finally have a role in the offense in 2026 before a thumb injury suffered late in the summer put his season on pause.

The Colts placed Mallory on Injured Reserve to begin the regular season and designated him for return. He's sat out the first five games, returned to practice last week, and fully participated in the six subsequent practices. Now, the Colts feel he's ready to return.

On Saturday, the Colts activated Mallory from IR and removed his injury status for Sunday's game, clearing a path for him to make his season debut against the Tennessee Titans.

This doesn't necessarily mean Mallory will be active on Sunday — he's typically been a healthy scratch throughout his career, appearing in just 24 out of a possible 51 career games — but the Colts now have him available.

The Colts now have five tight ends on the active roster in Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Pharaoh Brown, and Mallory.

Warren is questionable entering Sunday's game with a groin injury.

The biggest hurdles for Mallory to clear to be active on gamedays are improving as a blocker and more utility on special teams. The Colts haven't been able to justify a role on gamedays for such a niche player without him improving in certain areas.

Mallory is arguably the Colts' most athletic tight end with the best ability to stretch defenses, but Warren, Alie-Cox, Ogletree, and Brown have all been much more effective blockers in their careers. Alie-Cox and Ogletree also play key roles on special teams.

Mallory worked hard on filling in the gaps of his game this summer during training camp.

He played three special teams snaps in his lone preseason game and made a strong impression on special teams coordinator Brian Mason over the summer.

"Yeah, Will, he works extremely hard, and I think he's had the best training camp that he's had, and he's done a really nice job on offense," Mason said at the end of August. "I think he's done a really solid job on special teams too.

"There are certainly things that he's been trying to work on to get more of a role, and he works extremely hard, is extremely coachable. He’s a great kid, and I think he was in a position where he could have a special teams role for sure as we're looking to move forward, and we just got to get him back healthy."

Mallory has 35 career special teams snaps in the preseason and 16 in the regular season.

For his career, Mallory has caught 23 passes (35 targets) for 252 yards (11.0 avg.).