NFL rookie tight end and former Penn State footballer Tyler Warren is off to the 2026 Pro Bowl. The Indianapolis Colts announced the news on Friday.
He was named an alternate on the AFC roster, but punched his ticket due to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers not participating due to injury. Bowers was placed on Injured Reserve in December.
This makes Warren the 18th rookie tight end to appear in the Pro Bowl and the second to do so in Colts history. He is also the third former Nittany Lion named a Pro Bowl alternate alongside Baltimore Ravens punter Jordan Stout and Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons.
Tyler Warren is Pro Bowl-bound.
— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) January 17, 2026
Warren finished his rookie season ranking fifth among all tight ends with 817 receiving yards and four touchdowns. #WeAre #PennState pic.twitter.com/hs4TrGEWrc
Tyler Warren will earns AFC roster spot for 2026 Pro Bowl as a rookie
Warren appeared in all 17 regular season games for Indianapolis, making 12 starts. He started from the get go in Week 1 against Miami and made five consecutive starts including that week. Warren finished out the 2025 season with four back-to-back starts beginning at Seattle.
He registered 76 receptions on 112 targets for 817 yards and four touchdowns. Warren dabbled in the run game momentarily as well, putting up eight yards and one score on six carries. He was tied sixth for total receptions and fifth in receiving yards among all NFL tight ends.
While the Colts ended 8-9 and suffered a seven-game losing streak to cap off the season, Warren didn't disappoint compared to other rookies around the league. He led rookie tight ends in receiving yards and played the most snaps out of that group, playing 899. This was also good for the sixth-most snaps among all tight ends.
The disappointing back half of Indianapolis' season is one to mourn, but Warren provides a spark for what the future holds for the team. Being named a Pro Bowler as a rookie, even if he started out as an alternate, is impressive.
Warren can be an explosive component of the Colts' offense moving forward in his career, but needs to be used in the right way. That will be crucial for Indianapolis to figure out as it has no first round picks for the 2026 NFL Draft after trading the pick away for cornerback Sauce Gardner.