The 26-year-old has missed two full seasons with injury.
Insider predicts Colts to move on from former third-round pick originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their preseason campaign with a big 41-14 win over the Bengals on Saturday. The final tune up game gave players fighting for roster spots a final chance to audition and show what they can bring.
But once the final whistle blew, the focus turned their focus towards selecting the 53 players they wish to roster for the 2025 season before the Aug. 26 deadline.
Among the positions of interest for the Colts is tight end. Tyler Warren has been everything the Colts need and more this preseason, cementing himself as a clear starter, but there's a question at the bottom of the depth chart of who to keep.
Will Mallory and Jelani Woods have been battling for the fourth and final slot behind Warren, Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree. ESPN’s Stephen Holder thinks the Colts have their answer already.
Holder believes that while Woods is back healthy for the first time in a long time, whether he’s done enough to earn a roster spot is “debatable.”
The Colts drafted Woods in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the intention that he would develop into a near clone of Alie-Cox— a big-bodied tight end who’s a reliable blocker and a physical receiving threat in the red zone.
Things simply haven’t worked out, though. Woods had a strong rookie year but missed back-to-back seasons with hamstring and toe injuries, stunting his development and pushing him out of favor at the position.
Now, it seems like the 26-year-old is done in Indianapolis, leaving the team needing to accept that Woods was a flop due to his lack of availability.
Category: Football
