Colts Bring Back Veteran Mo Alie-Cox
INDIANAPOLIS – Tight end is certainly a major need for the Colts this offseason, and an April re-signing of Mo Alie-Cox shouldn’t undermine that at all.
On Friday morning, the Colts announced Alie-Cox—the team’s longest tenured skill player—is returning on a one-year deal.
Brining the 31-year-old Alie-Cox back on a cheaper, one-year contract, knowing he brings a needed blocking presence makes sense.
Of course, that’s only if the Colts still fully acknowledge that the massive need for a dynamic pass catching tight end remains entering the draft.
Alie-Cox’s receiving production has waned in recent years. He caught 19 balls in 17 games in 2022. That number dropped to 13 catches in 2023 and then 12 grabs this past season, while continuing to play every game.
A return of Alie-Cox in 2025 would have to come with some very specific expectations.
First, the 31-year-old couldn’t expect the type of contract he just played on (making nearly $6 million annually) when his receiving numbers have been so minuscule.
Again, Alie-Cox’s return, with an acknowledgment that he has been a strong blocker, shouldn’t diminish the team’s tight end need, more so in the receiving department.
Chris Ballard’s assessment of the Colts tight end play in 2024 could be viewed in a direct light to the evaluation of Alie-Cox individually.
“We didn’t get enough production from them,” the Colts GM said at the end of the season.
“I will say this, they did a very good job blocking in the run game. They’re excellent blockers, but our inability to control the middle of the field, which we’ve got to be able to do, I’ve got to be able to give Shane (Steichen) and them a guy that can really control the middle of the field that teams have to account for and defend. I just haven’t been able to do that. That’s not a slight against our guys. They’re good football players, but really having a receiving target that the defense has to prepare for, you’d like to be able to find and get.”
Alie-Cox hasn’t missed a game in 4 years and that durability should not be overlooked.
But bringing him back for a 7th season with the Colts must come with specific parameters.
The top of that list being don’t forget about the middle of the field. And we will find an answer to that when the draft arrives later this month.
With Alie-Cox back, the Colts also have tight ends Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory and Jelani Woods on the roster. Kylen Granson is gone, having signed with the Eagles this offseason.
