The Indianapolis Colts needed to be wise in how they spent their money in free agency this past offseason, and that included not spending any on longtime right tackle starter Braden Smith. Instead, Indy will go with second-year pro Jalen Travis after Smith signed with the Houston Texans.
Unfortunately, Smith might not be able to play with his new team, which is, of course, an Indy AFC South rival, any time soon because on Wednesday, he went down with an apparent leg injury in a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers. He had to be carted off the field.
No immediate announcement was made on how long, if at all, Smith would be out, but being carted away is never a good sign, of course. The initial expectation could be that he will miss significant time.
Former Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith suffers apparent leg injury
He deserved a better fate, though. Sure, he left Indianapolis and joined a rival, but the NFL is a business, and many times players cannot be choosy about which team is going to pay them to play football. Smith was offered a two-year contract for $20 million, and he took it.
If anything, that amount might have been lower than what was expected. He has been a solid contributor at tackle for many years, so he played a valuable position at a high level. The risk for the Indianapolis Colts was that Travis could take over for Smith and do just as well for just as long.
Since he was drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft by the Colts, Smith has been a full-time starter on the right side of the offensive line. His only real issue was the one the Texans just learned about Smith: He does have a history of getting hurt. In eight seasons, Smith played only one full season (2019) and missed four or more games four times in the last five years.
No one likely wishes him harm, however. He was an open and honest person about having obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which caused him to have thoughts about self-harm. Ultimately, he wasn't just a football player in Indianapolis, but an emotional and real human being. He was one of us, only with talent to play professional football.
Hopefully, the injury he suffered against the Panthers looks worse than it is, and he can play during the season, even if he performs well against the Colts. At this point, he appears on the verge of missing a lot of time.
Update: According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Smith suffered a foot injury.
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