John Glenn Doyle (born May 5, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2013. However, Doyle was waived before the beginning of the season and was then acquired by the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent his entire nine-year professional career and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
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Early life
At Cathedral High School, Doyle was All-State and earned Honorable Mention All-State honors. He was a member of the football team that won the championship in 2006. As a senior, he caught 21 passes for 400 yards and four touchdowns and earned an Indianapolis Star Honorable Mention. In addition to football, Doyle played basketball, lettered in rugby and won a state title in 2008.
College career
Western Kentucky was the only Football Bowl Subdivision program to offer Doyle an athletic scholarship. As a freshman in 2009, he started 10 games at tight end and finished with 37 receptions for 365 yards and a touchdown. After the season, Doyle was named to Phil Steele's National All-Freshman squad.
Doyle started seven games as a sophomore. Although he suffered a season-ending injury, Doyle still caught 20 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
As a junior, Doyle started all 12 games and recorded 52 receptions for 614 yards while also being named second-team All-Sun Belt.
Doyle had his best season as a senior. Doyle started all 13 games and caught 53 passes for 566 yards and five touchdowns. He was named first-team All-Sun Belt and was also a semifinalist for the Mackey Award.
During his time at Western Kentucky, Doyle was a three-time captain.
Professional career
Pre-draft
On January 26, 2013, Doyle played in the 2013 Senior Bowl as part of the Oakland Raiders' head coach Dennis Allen's North team that lost 21–16 to Detroit Lions' head coach Jim Schwartz' South team. Doyle did not receive an invitation to participate at the NFL Scouting Combine. On February 21, he held a private pro day and had scouts and team representatives from 20 NFL teams attend. He ran the majority of combine and positional drills, but elected to skip the bench press. Doyle was mentored by former Indianapolis Colts' tight end Ken Dilger in preparation for his pro day. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Doyle was projected to be a seventh round pick or priority undrafted free agent by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 20th best tight end prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.
Tennessee Titans
On May 1, 2013, the Tennessee Titans signed Doyle to a three-year, $1.49 million contract as an undrafted free agent after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft. Throughout training camp, he competed to be a backup tight end against Taylor Thompson, Brandon Barden, and Martell Webb. On August 31, the Titans waived Doyle as part as their final roster cuts, but planned to re-sign him to their practice squad after clearing waivers.
Indianapolis Colts
On September 1, 2013, the Indianapolis Colts claimed Doyle off of waivers and added him to their active roster. Head coach Chuck Pagano named Doyle the fourth tight end on the Colts' depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, and Dominique Jones.
Doyle made his professional regular season debut during the Week 2 24–20 loss to the Miami Dolphins after Dwayne Allen was placed on injured reserve due to a hip injury he sustained in the season-opener. During a Week 7 39–33 victory over the Denver Broncos, Doyle caught his first career reception on a seven-yard pass from quarterback Andrew Luck before being tackled by Danny Trevathan during the third quarter. The following week, Doyle was promoted to being the primary backup on the depth chart behind Coby Fleener and earned his first career start during a 27–24 road victory over the Houston Texans after the Colts released Dominique Jones.
Doyle finished his rookie year with five receptions for 19 yards in 15 games and four starts. The Colts finished the 2013 season atop the AFC South with an 11–5 record. On January 4, 2014, Doyle appeared in his first career playoff game as the Colts narrowly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 45–44 during the AFC Wild Card Round. On January 11, 2014, Doyle started in his first career playoff game and had a seven-yard reception during a 43–22 road loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round.
During training camp, Doyle competed for a roster spot as a backup tight end against Weslye Saunders and Erik Swoope. Head coach Chuck Pagano named Doyle the third tight end on the Colts' depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener.
During a Week 2 30–27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Doyle scored his first NFL touchdown on a two-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Andrew Luck in the second quarter, which also marked Luck's 50th career touchdown pass. In the regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans, Doyle caught a season-high four receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown during the 27–10 road victory.
Doyle finished his second professional season with 18 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and one start. Doyle played 399 offensive snaps (34.5%) and was mainly used as a blocker in Pep Hamilton's offense. The Colts finished the 2014 atop the AFC South with an 11–5 record and reached the AFC Championship Game, where they were defeated on the road 45–7 by the Patriots.
Retirement
On March 7, 2022, Doyle announced his retirement from the NFL.