Colts sign Andre Smith

After the Colts drafted Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen in the second and third rounds, Colts GM Ryan Grigson pointed out that the Colts now had two “legitimate” tight ends. That could not have made holdover Brody Eldridge feel all that good. Of course, Grigs later backtracked and said something about Eldridge having a place and that he was a different kind of tight end. By that, we all assumed, Eldridge had a role as a blocking tight end. After all, neither Fleener nor Allen were known as blockers and Eldridge had even played guard at the major college level.

That scenario didn’t last long. Today the Colts signed Andre Smith (6043/270/4.78pd). No, not that Andre Smith. This guy’s a blocking tight end. He caught a few balls pairing up with Tyrod Taylor at Virginia Tech (39-438-7 in four seasons), but doesn’t appear to be anything but an emergency target in the NFL. Still, he is a skilled blocker. And that would put him in head-to-head competition with Eldridge.

While Eldridge has great potential and had some eye-opening moments as a rook, he was also wildly inconsistent, recording four penalties and allowing seven quarterback pressures. A few weeks ago, Eldridge was the Colts’ top tight end, and now he’s facing a stiff fight for the No. 3 spot.