The Indianapolis Colts announced this morning that tight end Jack Doyle has signed his qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, meaning that he is officially back with the team.
The Colts tendered Doyle with the low RFA tender, meaning he could explore options elsewhere, but he did not sign anywhere else and, as far as we know, didn't really even receive much interest. It was fully expected that, once the Colts placed the RFA tender on him, he'd be back, and that move is now official with Doyle signing the tender this morning. The tender is a one-year, $1.671 million deal.
Doyle has spent the past three seasons with the Colts, playing in 47 games (starting seven) and catching 35 passes for 209 yards and three scores. He has played in every game over the past two years with the Colts and played in 15 in 2013 after he was claimed off of waivers from the Tennessee Titans. This year, he figures to have a much bigger role in the offense, as he is the number two tight end behind Dwayne Allen (as opposed to the number three tight end role he has had in recent years). With the departure of Coby Fleener, Doyle will now be the one playing alongside Allen in two-tight end formations and should see a nice boost in his snap count. It's unclear who will be at the position as depth after the top two, but it seems pretty clear at this point that it will be Allen as the top tight end and Doyle as the number two.