Colts lost a leader with Castonzo’s retirement, not just a left tackle
By Daniel Davis
Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo contemplated retirement after the 2019 season but called it quits in 2020 after an injury forced him on the sideline for a few weeks.
The Colts offensive line has consistently been one of the best in the game since Chris Ballard took over in 2018, and the unit will presumably continue that legacy in 2021.
However, the Colts will be losing one of the most consistent left tackles in the game this season following Anthony Castonzo’s official retirement.
Drafted in 2011, Castonzo was taken at 22nd overall by a Colts team that was rebuilding. Peyton Manning was recovering from what seemed to be a career-ending neck injury and the Colts were putting a team together with spitballs and duct tape.
However, that didn’t stop Castonzo from only allowing six sacks all season long — while the Colts only won two games and gained the first overall pick the next season.
Statically speaking, Castonzo’s best season was in 2019, as he played on every down and took nearly 1,100 snaps at the left tackle position while only giving up three sacks. While sacks are a great measuring stick of offensive linemen, so are penalties. Castonzo only gave up two holding calls all season long for a total of 10 yards.
While Castonzo has been a great player, his leadership will be missed the most. The Colts drafted more young linemen in Braden Smith, Quenton Nelson, and Ryan Kelley in subsequent years, and all have cited Castonzo as being a great influence on them.
In every interview he’s done for years, you could always tell how much Castonzo loved being a Colt, and he made it clear he wanted to retire as one too.
Costanzo will be missed as the anchor of the offensive line on a team that historically passed first, but has adopted the slogan “run the damn ball” in recent years. It’s no surprise he chose to retire after the 2020 season, as he had an ankle injury that forced him on the sideline for a few weeks and pulled him out of the game against Las Vegas.
I wish Castonzo with best in all his endeavors and will always cherish watching highlights of him pancaking the best pass rushers in the game.
