INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts got the rare opportunity back in April to address the biggest weakness on their roster in the first round of the draft, with a player staring them in the face who probably shouldn't have still been available at the 14th overall pick.
Tight end Tyler Warren was widely considered the most complete tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft, a rugged player who could block, but whose style after the catch was reminiscent of former Washington runner John Riggins.
The Colts were the beneficiaries of Warren's "slide," if you want to call it that, and as a result, they got a "throwback freakin' baller."
“It's impressive," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said of Warren's impact following the team's opening week win over the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. "...Just the physicality, he's an old-school, throwback freakin’ baller is what he is.”
The Colts spent all offseason crafting Warren's role in their offense. He was a unicorn of sorts at Penn State, touching the ball 137 times in 2024 between catching it, running with it, passing it, and even once punting it.
Warren played 53 offensive snaps in Indianapolis' 33-8 beatdown of Miami, catching seven of his game-high nine targets for 76 yards. He also ran the ball once on a fullback dive on a third-and-short, picking up a first downs.
“It's huge. You can do a lot with him," Steichen said. "Obviously, you guys saw we lined him up at fullback today and got a short yardage there with him, and just different things the way we use him in the pass game. So, keep getting creative with him.”
“It opens up a lot of things," Steichen said on Monday about how Warren opens things up for the offense. "We got the weapons on the outside that we have, but now having him inside is great. Obviously, he was explosive yesterday, getting the ball in his hands the way we did, and making plays.
"I thought he had a lot of good plays. I thought, yesterday, that third down play there, in that four-minute situation – just to have the feel that he did, just stopping on a dime there. There's two guys, and then ran another dude over to get the YAC he did, just a great playmaker. So, it definitely helps for sure.”
Not only did Warren make impact plays as a pass-catcher, but his run blocking was noticeable as well, as the Colts tried to melt the clock in the second half, en route to 156 yards and two touchdowns on 40 team carries.
According to Pro Football Focus, Warren's 88.6 run-blocking grade ranks second in the NFL among tight ends, and his 78.3 in pass blocking is No. 1.
“Yeah, I thought he did a really nice job," Steichen said of Warren's blocking on Sunday. "We had a play there, I want to say – I don't know if it was the third quarter where he got up inside on the linebacker, which created a little crease there. I thought he did some good things. We had some max play-action protection stuff that I thought he held up good. I thought he did a real nice job Week 1 for sure.”
On Sunday, Warren validated how many people felt about him coming out of the draft, but if he continues to stack performances like this together, he'll be a mainstay in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
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.