We’ve got the first bit of free agency news about the Colts, courtesy of a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He reported this afternoon that tight end Jack Doyle is expected to test the free agent market, despite the Colts’ recent attempts to re-sign him.
Doyle will be one of the most sought-after tight ends on the free agent market this year, which probably is part of the reason why he wants to test that market. It sounds like the Colts do want to keep him, however, but that may not happen. It's unclear how much Doyle is asking for versus how much the Colts are willing to pay him, but considering he's their best free agent (plus the amount of cap space they have) it would make sense for the Colts to make a push to keep him. We'll see if the deadline spurs action on the team's part in this case.
The tight end has spent the past four seasons with the Colts, playing in 63 games (starting 21) and has caught 94 passes for 793 yards and eight touchdowns, spending most of that time as the number three tight end. He took on a larger role in 2016, however, and had a breakout season: playing in all 16 games and starting 14, Doyle caught 59 passes for 584 yards and five touchdowns to finish as the second-most productive pass-catcher on the team and one of Andrew Luck’s most trusted targets.
Doyle is the most reliable tight end the Colts have, as he has played in every game over the past three seasons and has produced - both as a receiver and as a blocker. The Colts still may reach a deal with him, but it seems uncertain right now (and that was the impression he gave in an interview with 1070 the Fan's JMV last week, too). This is definitely a situation to keep monitoring.
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