This article has been updated as of May 13, 2026 to align with the Indianapolis Colts’ official announcement and completed rookie-season data. Former Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was named to the 2026 Pro Bowl Games as an injury replacement for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
Official Pro Bowl Selection
The Colts announced on January 16, 2026 that Warren had been selected to participate in the 2026 Pro Bowl Games. The team’s official release said Warren was originally named an alternate and then took Bowers’ spot after Bowers was unable to participate because of injury.
The same release identified Warren as the 18th rookie tight end in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl and just the second in Colts history, joining John Mackey in 1963.
Rookie Production
Warren started all 17 games for Indianapolis in 2025. The Colts listed his rookie season at 76 receptions, 817 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns, six carries, eight rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Those numbers set Colts franchise records for receptions and receiving yards by a rookie tight end. The Colts also said Warren led all NFL rookie tight ends in regular-season receiving yards and played 899 snaps, the most among rookie tight ends.
NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk recap matched the key facts: Warren replaced Bowers, became the 18th rookie tight end with Pro Bowl honors, and finished among the top tight ends in receptions and receiving yards.
Penn State Context
Warren’s Pro Bowl selection gave Penn State a clean alumni-development example. He was selected No. 14 overall by Indianapolis in the 2025 NFL Draft after a record-setting college career, then became a major rookie contributor immediately.
For Penn State tight end coverage, the point is not that every college role transfers perfectly to the NFL. It is that Warren’s versatility as a blocker, receiver, and occasional backfield piece gave Indianapolis a wide usage menu from his first season.
Why It Matters
Warren’s rookie year strengthened Penn State’s tight end pitch. Tyler Warren, Pat Freiermuth, Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, and other recent tight ends have kept the program visible at the position. Warren’s Pro Bowl nod is the strongest recent professional marker because it came immediately as a rookie.
This article should therefore be treated as an alumni milestone, not as a current Penn State roster item. The 2026 Penn State tight end room belongs to players still in State College, while Warren’s page belongs in the Pro Lions archive.
Current Context
Warren’s Pro Bowl page should connect to Penn State’s alumni and tight end development history. It should not be used to support any current Penn State depth chart, because Warren left college after the 2024 season and became the Colts’ No. 14 overall pick in 2025.
That distinction keeps the site’s 2026 tight end coverage clean. Benjamin Brahmer, Andrew Rappleyea, Gabe Burkle, and other active Penn State tight ends belong in current roster analysis. Warren belongs in NFL alumni coverage.
Sources and update notes
This update was checked against the Colts’ January 16, 2026 Pro Bowl announcement, the Colts’ February 4 Pro Bowl Games participation recap, NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk report, and the Colts’ 2025 draft announcement for Warren.