The Indianapolis Colts had a pretty good offseason but there is one thing that Bleacher Report believes Indy will eventually regret.
The Indianapolis Colts started the offseason pretty slow. They were a team that many identified as a couple of pieces away but they didn’t burst out of the gate once free agency began. Instead, Indy sat back and practiced the methodical approach that Chris Ballard always preaches.
There’s room to debate if this is the best method for teams or not, but it’s safe to say that the Colts ultimately ended up in good shape and made the moves they needed to make.
Indianapolis upgraded at quarterback by trading Carson Wentz away and trading for Matt Ryan. Indy also improved its pass rush by sending away Rock Ya-Sin for Yannick Ngakoue.
The hole left in the secondary from that trade was filled by signing five-time Pro Bowl corner Stephon Gilmore. The Colts finished the offseason with an impressive draft class, highlighted by athletic pass-catchers Alec Pierce and Jelani Woods.
It was by no means a perfect offseason for Indianapolis but it was a pretty good one. Time will tell if the Colts are going to look back and wish they did something differently, but for now, they seem satisfied.
However, Bleacher Report believes Indy will have one big regret. In a recent piece by Kristopher Knox highlighting one offseason regret for every NFL team, Knox argues that the Colts will regret “not adding insurance for Matt Pryor at left tackle.”
"I did hear I'll be getting first crack at it." — Colts lineman Matt Pryor on the open left tackle position.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) May 11, 2022
Others who could contend for the starting spot to replace Eric Fisher: rookie Bernhard Raimann and newly-signed Dennis Kelly.
Should be a good competition in camp.
Will Colts regret left tackle approach?
Many thought Indianapolis would aggressively pursue one of the big-name free agent tackles this offseason, but Chris Ballard quickly put that narrative to rest. Ballard went on “The Pat McAfee Show” and announced that the team is comfortable giving Matt Pryor the first shot at left tackle.
Matt Pryor has limited experience in the NFL, starting 15 of 44 games played, however, the Colts were impressed by his performance in his appearances.
Indy did add some depth linemen this offseason, but the biggest offensive line acquisition was drafting Bernhard Raimann in the third round of the Draft. Some believe Raimann is a first-round talent and that he may claim his spot as the tackle of the future this season.
However, Knox feels that Raimann is a gamble just like Pryor and the other linemen added and that the Colts should have secured “a proven, high-level starter” to protect Matt Ryan.
Left tackle is a really important position and Indy definitely wants to keep Ryan off the ground and on the field, so Knox is right to criticize the Colts for not going all out at the position.
Whether it’s Pryor, Raimann, or one of the other linemen on the roster that takes control of the left tackle spot, they have to be prepared to perform in a way that Indy doesn’t regret not signing someone else.
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