Bleacher Report Identifies Veteran OT As Potential Answer For Colts
Though Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard has attempted to fill the gaping hole that the retirement of left tackle Anthony Castonzo left on the roster for the 2021 Colts by signing veterans Sam Tevi and Eric Fisher to one-year deals, Bleacher Report still identifies the position as a big hole ahead of training camp.
With that belief, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon tabbed one current veteran offensive tackle as a potential answer to plug the spot, that being former Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panther left tackle Russell Okung.
Okung, who is 32 years old, has played in 131 career games, but has played in just six and seven games the last two seasons, one with the Chargers and last season with the Panthers.
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Fisher, who signed a one-year, $9.4 million deal with the Colts in mid May, is coming off of an Achilles injury suffered in the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills, leading to his salary-cap related release from the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.
The two-time Pro Bowler likely won't be ready for the start of the season and could begin the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list, meaning he'd miss the first six weeks of the season, at minimum, leading Tevi — a fellow veteran free agent signee at left tackle – to assume the starting job early in the year.
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Tevi doesn't have great tape overall and leaves much to be desired, but it's worth noting he's played nearly 2,500 career snaps at left and right tackle, which gives the Colts, Ballard, head coach Frank Reich, and offensive line coaches Chris Strausser and Kevin Mawae some comfort and confidence at the position.
However, Gagnon is of the belief that the Colts aren't settled there and should add Okung now with the cap space that they still have.
The otherwise deep and talented Indianapolis Colts have some insurance in the event left tackle Eric Fisher hasn't recovered from an Achilles injury in time to replace retired stalwart Anthony Castonzo. But Sam Tevi and Julie'n Davenport have failed elsewhere and are not promising short-term options for a squad that will be battling from the get-go in the tough and improved AFC South.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported in May that Fisher might not be ready until October, and even then there'd be a catch-up process for a 30-year-old who has undergone two major surgeries in the last two years.The Colts are in win-now mode and have the cash to sign Russell Okung. Even if it seems superfluous, they should make it happen.
No, the Colts shouldn't make it happen.
While Gagnon goes out of his way to knock Fisher and his two major surgeries in the last two years, he fails to mention Okung played six games in 2019, and seven games last season. That's...not good, especially for a 32-year-old left tackle.
In fact, Okung has played just one full season in his career (16 games in 2016 in Denver), played 15 games in a season three times, and has missed 48 games in his career. That's not a guy with an injury history worth taking a chance on this late in the process with the start of training camp days away.
Okung remains on the market for a reason, and the Colts are very comfortable with the guys they've added at the position to try and bridge the Castonzo era to the next franchise left tackle.
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