PALM BEACH, Fla. – While questions about the Colts’ quarterback competition dominated Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen’s press conferences at the NFL Annual Meeting in Florida this week, there were a few critical areas of the roster discussed by both the Colts’ general manager and head coach.

Here’s what you need to know about four key position groups, all of which lost players via free agency in the last few weeks:

Additions: None
Moving on: Kylen Granson (signed with Philadelphia Eagles)
Re-signed: None (Mo Alie-Cox remains an unsigned free agent)
Currently on the roster: Will Mallory, Sean McKeon, Drew Ogletree, Albert Okwuegbunam, Jelani Woods

The Colts have been searching for a true two-way tight end – one who can reliably block and catch passes – since Jack Doyle retired following the 2021 season.

“I remember when we lost Jack Doyle telling everybody in the building, we just lost a real game changing player,” Ballard said. “I my mind, Jack Doyle was freaking great. He was great in who he was, how he produced. It wasn’t sexy but he was great.

“And do we need a game changer? Absolutely we do. Will it happen? I can’t dictate the draft.”

With the NFL Draft approaching in just over three weeks, plenty of mock drafts have the Colts drafting either Penn State’s Tyler Warren or Michigan’s Colston Loveland with the No. 14 overall pick in the first round. It’s easy to see why those predictions are being made: The Colts have a need for a tight end who can both block and catch.

While finding one of those dual-threat tight ends is difficult – there aren’t many of them in the NFL – having one can keep opposing defenses guessing in a way that’s difficult to replicate with tight ends who a capable in only one area (i.e. just receiving or blocking).

“That’s a huge part of it,” Steichen said. “When you got the guy who can do both and you can run, stay in 11 personnel (three receivers, one tight end, one running back) and not have to sub certain guys out, that definitely helps.”

Because the Colts have a strong receiver room – Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce on the outside, and Josh Downs in the slot, primarily – having that singular tight end who can block in the run game and also catch in the passing game is even more important.

Downs played about two-thirds of the Colts’ offensive snaps when he played in 2024, and he topped the team with 72 receptions. The vast majority of Downs’ snaps, though, came in 11 personnel – with one tight end on the field – which was the Colts’ preferred personnel grouping.

“If you can get a guy that the other team has to account for on three downs, that to me is something – and they’re hard to find,” Ballard said.

Whether the Colts can find that tight end in the draft, though, remains to be seen.

“You gotta be multiple in the pass game,” Steichen said. “Obviously you would love the guy that can block. I think those guys, it’s hard to find the true blocking tight ends anymore, but a guy that can battle in the run game is good. Great hands, can come in and out of the breaks, big and strong after the catch as well. There’s a lot of good ones in this draft. It’ll be interesting.”