Colts: Does PFF really believe Indy doesn’t have best OL in NFL?

Though the Indianapolis Colts offense exceeded expectations last season, fans are expecting it to make even more strides in 2021.

That, of course, is largely due to the acquisition of Carson Wentz, who seems poised for a bounce back year after a woeful final year with the Eagles.

After all, not only did Wentz flourish under Frank Reich’s tutelage in Philadelphia, but the Colts seemingly have all the necessary pieces in place for the former No. 2 overall pick to rediscover his confidence and poise under center.

Though a strong running game and improved talent at the wide receiver position will make a huge difference, we’d argue Wentz’s success will hinge on Indianapolis’ offensive line, which has arguably been the NFL’s best for three years running.

Even rival fans would admit the Colts have the game’s preeminent OL, but Pro Football Focus, which has repeatedly snubbed Indianapolis in their annual rankings this offseason, seems to think that Cleveland has the best offensive line in the league.

Does PFF actually believe the Colts don’t have the best OL in the NFL?

Pro Football Focus listed the Colts as having the best offensive line before last season, and we’d argue the unit got even stronger (not worse) this offseason.

While the retirement of longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo hurts, the Colts responded, albeit several months later than expected, by signing Eric Fisher, a two-time Pro Bowler and one of the best pound-for-pound LTs the NFL has to offer.

We know Fisher is coming off a torn Achilles and will likely miss the first month of 2021, but if he returns to a semblance of the player he was pre injury, the Colts won’t skip a beat at left tackle, which is huge given the consistency Castonzo displayed over his career.

It also shouldn’t be understated that Indianapolis has some of the best offensive line depth of any team in the league following strong offseason signings like tackles Sam Tevi and Julie’n Davenport, as well as center Joey Hunt and guard Chris Reed.

It’d be redundant to state that the likes of Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith form a truly unstoppable trio at left guard, center and right tackle, but why not, right? When you add all these factors together, the Colts clearly have a superior OL to that of the Browns.

We have nothing against the Browns, whose OL really outperformed expectations last season and might’ve been the more consistent unit of the two, given all the injuries Indy dealt with…but can they give us more than a season’s worth of dominance before we give them the crown?

We’re not sure what the Colts did to offend PFF, but for the Browns to jump from No. 6 (where they ranked last season) to the top spot in one year is laughable considering they had to leapfrog Indy, which ranked second in 2020, in order to do so. Also, why are the Patriots here? Simply food for thought.

Again, we’re talking about an OL that allowed Jonathan Taylor to rush for nearly 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie and only allowed Philip Rivers to be sacked the fewest times (19) among starting QBs not named Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees.

What more needs to be said?

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