These three seats are getting hot.
With the NFL Draft looming, all eyes are on who the Indianapolis Colts will choose to sign. Despite having made some good progress in free agency, there are still numerous roster holes needing to be filled, and with the right selections, the Colts can address every one of those needs.
Yet absent of holes needing to be filled, there are also below-average players who should feel their seats getting hotter as the draft approaches. As the Colts begin adding rookies to their squad, which veteran players could potentially be replaced?
Drew Ogletree, TE
It’s no secret that the Indianapolis tight end room is awful. There hasn’t been a single tight end in Indianapolis who has reached 500 receiving yards since 2018, and accordingly, most mock drafts have the Colts taking either Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland as their first-round pick. Both are assumed to be capable of starting right away, which puts the remaining tight ends on the roster at risk.
Mo Alie-Cox resigned with the Colts earlier this month, and he will likely continue in his role as a starter. He has never been a great receiving tight end, but he is known to be a good blocker, and with his veteran experience, he will likely emerge as the leader of the new unit. Kylen Granson has already left, to the relief of most Colts fans. That leaves Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory as cut candidates. With Mallory still young and showing potential as he continues to grow in his career, Ogletree is the most likely TE to be shown the door.
Ogletree has been a decent run blocker, and like Mallory, is seen as someone with potential. However, he hasn’t made many catches, and his off-field issues — disturbingly having been arrested and charged with domestic violence — and though those charges were later dismissed, the NFL continued its own investigation afterwards, making Ogletree a less-attractive prospect than someone without off-field issues. While some NFL players can get away with off-field legal problems because they play so well, that’s not the case for Ogletree.
Blake Freeland, OL
The Colts lost two star offensive linemen to free agency, and it’s a given that they will take someone to replace them in later rounds of the draft. Marcus Mbow has been a frequent suggestion, and that could lead to Freeland’s exit.
In his limited snaps, he hasn’t performed very well, and he’s frankly just not good enough to be a starter. If the Colts do end up signing Mbow or another offensive lineman, Freeland should feel very nervous.
Trey Sermon, RB
Jonathan Taylor is one of the best running backs in the league, but he’s largely been carrying the entire run game by himself. The Colts need to change that, and so far, they’ve been working towards just that. They signed Khalil Herbert in free agency, and it’s assumed that they will take another running back in the draft, with LeQuint Allen and Jordan James both named as potential picks.
There are currently two RBs backing up Taylor: Tyler Goodson and Trey Sermon. Neither have been particularly impressive, but Goodson has done enough to have his contract extended for another year. Sermon, however, has not shown much promise or potential, and if the Colts do sign another running back in the draft, Sermon likely will be gone.