What the retirement of Matt Slauson means for the Colts

Veteran guard Matt Slauson announced his retirement last night over his Instagram account. What does his absence mean for the Colts moving forward into next season?

Matt Slauson was signed last offseason to help improve the depth along the offensive line. He eventually won the starting right guard job and proceeded to play well in the beginning of the season. Then he got hurt and was placed on IR after playing in only five games.

That paved the way for Mark Glowinski to get into the starting line up. Glowinski played well and just received a three year extension. We were wondering if Slauson was going to get re-signed, but that is now a moot point. Slauson announced his retirement last night after ten seasons.

So now what? The Colts certainly would have liked to keep Slauson as a backup at least. His veteran presence was great in the locker room and he acted as an extra coach. But now they don’t have the option of that depth with his retirement.

It does offer more clarity along the offensive line though. With Slauson out of the picture, the right guard spot is now Glowinski’s alone. His play this past season proved that he can handle it and excel in that position. It also keeps the starting line relatively young.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Colts did try to bring back Slauson in some sort of coaching role. His mentoring of the younger lineman was invaluable this season. Slauson seems to have a knack for leading men, and the Colts would be smart to utilize that talent.

The Colts should be fine even if that doesn’t happen. They have built a solid offensive line and should be good there for years to come. The team certainly wishes Slauson the best in his future endeavors, and maybe those endeavors will involve him staying around the team.