Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods missed his entire sophomore NFL season in 2023, dealing with various hamstring injuries. But now fully healthy and back on the practice field, Woods is feeling better than ever.
“Actually, to be honest, I feel better, really,” said Woods during OTAs, “because I’m pretty much starting to know my body well and creating a routine daily to just keep building myself, and I feel like I’m in a good start right now, so I’m just trying to keep it going. Take it a day at a time really, for the most part.”
As Woods described, the difficulty last season for him was not in the physical component of dealing with an injury that kept him sidelined. Instead, it was the mental aspect of not being able to be on the field with his teammates.
To help combat this, Woods stayed engaged throughout the season. He was in the locker room, in team meetings, and asking questions. This missed time also afforded him the opportunity to get a better understanding of his body, which carried over into how he attacked this offseason.
“Really, for me, it was more of doing a lot of iso work,” said Woods. “So everything I did was iso, so quads, hamstrings. Everything I did was more just targeting one specific area and then as I got each area stronger, then I just put it all together, and that’s pretty much how I am still doing it now.
“Like I said, creating the right routine and then also treatment, finding the right people, having the right resources around me, and just staying on top of that daily, and then just going about it like that, for the most part.”
At 6-7 – 253 pounds with 4.61 speed, Woods brings an imposing combination of size and speed to the Colts’ offense. As a rookie during the 2022 season, we saw the playmaking ability that Woods possesses. That year, he caught 25 passes for 312 yards with three scores, and leading all tight ends that season with 50 percent of his targets coming between 10-19 yards downfield.
Those hamstring injuries robbed Woods of what could have potentially been a breakout year in 2023, but now he believes he will enter the 2024 season even more explosive than he once was.
“My rookie year, I could tell I was limited with certain stuff,” said Woods, “like planting and everything like that, and now I feel like I’m getting out of my breaks way faster. I feel like I have more of a receiver dynamic compared to the true tight end.”
Early impressions of Woods during the offseason programs from media members who have been at the Colts’ practices are positive. With Woods’ size, speed, and versatility, his fit within Shane Steichen’s offense is fairly clear: as a big red zone target for Anthony Richardson, someone who can stretch the middle of the field, particularly on RPOs, and as a matchup problem for opponents with his ability to be moved around the formation.
However, this is close to Steichen’s first extended look at Woods on the practice field since he arrived in Indianapolis as the head coach. To a degree, it’s almost like Woods is going through his first season again and has to prove that he can be the Colts’ top tight end option this season.
“I know what I can do,” Woods said. “I know how well I can help the offense. I know I can be a pivotal point in the offense, and I’m just trying to show that and earn the respect back, earn my spot back. And so, pretty much do whatever I can to show them Jelani’s here.”
