The Indianapolis Colts have a big hole at the tight end position, and have for some time now.
Over the past five seasons, Indianapolis has failed to have a tight end on the roster collect over 500 reception yards. Things got notably bumpy at the position this year as there wasn't a candidate on the roster getting over 200 yards, marking a glaring need for a jolt of talent to help this offensive unit move at its best.
Many have projected that jolt of talent coming through the top of the draft or even through an acquisition on the free agency market. However, some have seen the Colts tackling that need in the form of a trade.
Most recently, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine proposed an idea for the Colts to acquire Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts via trade in exchange for their third-round pick at 80th-overall this offseason.
"Despite the hype of coming into the league as the fourth overall pick in his draft [Pitts] just hasn't elevated himself as an elite tight end," Ballentine wrote. "Part of that has been how he's been utilized in the offense. Arthur Smith didn't quite feature him as the head coach and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson didn't create more targets for him... Pitts has the potential to become that within the Indianapolis offense and having another big-bodied downfield target for Anthony Richardson wouldn't hurt his development."
Coming into the league, Pitts was viewed as a future superstar. He finished his rookie season eclipsing 1,000 yards with 110 targets across the year, and even landed a Pro Bowl nod.Yet, since then, the trajectory hasn't continued on the track once imagined. Pitts has failed to haul in over 700 yards receiving for his last three seasons, and considering the Falcons will have to decide whether to pay him in the 2026 offseason, the best decision might be to ship him off to another tight end-needy team to claim assets in return.
In this case, it's the Colts who pick up Pitts, who can instantly emerge as the best pass catcher in the tight end room and hopefully provide a spark to this offense and the development of both himself and Anthony Richardson. Indianapolis needs to give their young quarterback all that's necessary to succeed in year three, and a low-risk, high-reward acquisition of the Falcons tight end could be just what's needed.
