Tyler Warren Camp Update — August 23: A Groin Injury Interrupts August

Tyler Warren's week ended early. The second-year tight end suffered a groin injury during Wednesday's joint practice against the Falcons, per JJ Stankevitz at the Colts' website, did not participate in Thursday's second session, per Abby Halpin at the same site, and sat Saturday's preseason game, with Will Mallory taking first-team snaps in his place, per Stankevitz. No severity, scan result, or timetable has been reported — the file so far says groin, mid-practice, and three straight missed days of work.

The timing stings more than the injury description does. This was the week Daniel Jones completed every pass he threw against Atlanta, per Stankevitz, and the charted highlights went to Josh Downs — the kind of practice that has been running through Warren all camp, from the three-catch two-minute drill against New England's starters a week ago. The June read said Warren's season rests on the Jones connection: with Jones throwing last year he produced like one of the best tight ends in football, and the target role was already the stickiest thing he owned. Nothing about a groin strain in August changes who the first read is when both are on the field; it just took Warren off the field for the week that would have kept proving it.

Mallory is the name to track in the meantime — he led the team with six catches for 80 yards in the New England game and has now had two weeks of enlarged opportunity, though tight end depth work in August is a role, not a displacement, and nobody has reported it as anything else.

Next week: whether Warren returns to practice before Saturday's finale against Detroit — where Steichen indicated the starters will play, per Stankevitz — and whether he is on the field for Jones's first game snaps since the Achilles. Rosters cut to 53 on Sunday. We'll check after cut day.

_Data via nflverse._