Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard lauded tight end Tyler Warren's game, while proclaiming he's going to continue getting even better.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts had one of the most obvious needs for a player entering last year's NFL Draft, as Penn State's Tyler Warren was a perfect fit to potentially resolve their bottom-dwelling tight end production.
As the 14th pick arrived and the Colts were on the clock, Warren was the easy selection. The do-it-all tight end rewarded the Colts with the best season a rookie tight end has had in franchise history, as his 76 receptions and 817 receiving yards were both the most by a rookie tight end in franchise history, and his five total touchdowns were second.
For the season, Warren led the Colts in pass targets (112) and was second in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving first downs (42). He also caught four touchdowns, to go with eight yards and another touchdown on six carries. He joined Hall-of-Famer John Mackey as just the second Colts rookie tight end to make the Pro Bowl.
"You saw it at Penn State. You know, he's really instinctive. He's really smart," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said recently when asked about Warren's early readiness as a rookie. "I think that some of the — for any rookie, especially on both sides of the ball, but offensively a tight end that has to — I think it's a very difficult position — because you've got to know the blocking schemes, the passing schemes, the pass protection schemes, the run game; there's so much that you put on them."
Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) celebrates a touchdown with head coach Shane Steichen in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images"And his ability, we knew it coming out, that he'd be able to handle it," Ballard continued. "Now, we didn't know how fast, but we had a pretty good feeling for it. And then, he stayed his entire time at Penn State, he learned, he matured. He's gonna get better. I mean, I think that's the one thing that, like, he's gonna get better, and that's the exciting thing. So now, yeah, excited about him, and it didn't surprise me what he did, no."
Ballard then compared the impact Warren has on the middle of the field and the security he provides to quarterbacks to what he's experienced with former Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen and Jack Doyle with the Colts.
"He might not outrun you, but I can tell you this," Ballard said. "His instincts are as good as I've been around, just in general, as a player."
Warren may very well be the most consistent part of the Colts' passing game in 2026. Michael Pittman Jr.'s status is up in the air as the team figures out his contract situation, Alec Pierce is one of the hottest names league-wide pending free agency, and Josh Downs is coming off his least productive season.
Warren, meanwhile, gets the benefit of his first NFL offseason preparing as a pro rather than for the pre-draft process.
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.