Colts Re-Sign Key Veteran Lineman

The Indianapolis Colts are putting importance on offensive line depth with this retaining.

Aug 24, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Indianapolis Colts center Wesley French (62) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts and backup center Wesley French agreed to terms on a one-year deal to keep him behind Tanor Bortolini. It also provides insurance now that Ryan Kelly is with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Athletic's James Boyd had the news first, saying this on X:

"This is a one-year deal for the #Colts and C Wesley French, per a league source."

French has been with the Colts since 2022 and provided a good insurance policy at center. He saw starting action in 2023 with three in former Colts center Kelly's absence.

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The Colts are ensuring that nothing is unchecked on the offensive line. After watching guard Will Fries depart to the same team as Kelly, the depth of the offensive trenches must be secure.

The hope is that French won't be needed, as now the reins are in Bortolini's hands. He impressed during his rookie campaign, throwing up Pro Football Focus blocking metrics of 65.1 overall, 64.6 pass-blocking, and 65.4 run-blocking.

He also played clean with only one penalty in 351 snaps. In short, Bortolini is why Chris Ballard felt okay letting Kelly go. It was difficult due to the veteran and four-time Pro Bowler playing nine years in the Circle City, but necessary.

French is likely not the only re-signing that Indy will have on their line. They'll probably want to also look into depth help through free agency, or possibly the NFL draft. The activity continues and Indianapolis has shown they're willing to make moves and spend money. We'll see if that continues.

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