INDIANAPOLIS – The official end to Eric Ebron’s tenure with the Colts came on Friday.
Ebron signed a 2-year, $12 million deal with the Steelers (Ebron signed a 2-year, $13 million deal with the Colts in 2018).
And yes, the Colts do travel to take on the Steelers in 2020.
While Ebron’s chances of re-signing with the Colts all but ended last November, his absence still leaves a void in the Indy tight end room.
Under Reich, the Colts have been big fans of using multiple tight end personnel packages.
In 2019, the Colts ranked 6th in plays with 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends, 2 wide receivers) and 3rd in 13 personnel (1 running back, 3 tight ends, 1 wide receiver).
Those numbers were that high even with Ebron missing the final 5 games of last season.
Heading into 2020, the Colts have Jack Doyle (who will turn 30 in May) under contract for 3 more years. Mo Alie-Cox has re-signed on a 1-year deal. A trio of other tight ends (Xavier Grimble, Matt Lengel and Ian Bunting) are on the 90-man roster, after signing reserve/future contracts.
Having a diverse skillset among the tight ends is key, and that’s something the Colts will want to complement.
The Colts do need to still find more of that vertical receiving tight end threat, which is something Ebron brought to this offense.
While the inconsistency of Ebron has contributed to him not coming back, he still commanded attention in the passing game, particularly in the red zone.
Such a presence was missed in the back half of the 2019 season.
That’s something the Colts should look to add, with Doyle and Mo Allie-Cox back in 2020.
