Why the Colts Should Sign a Guard, and Soon
The Indianapolis Colts are coming off their first preseason game of the year against the Buffalo Bills, where they fell 23-19. However, it’s the preseason, and scores don’t matter much.
What does matter is the performance of the young players, veterans getting adjusted to a new setting, and names trying to get a starting position. Also, any group or spot that struggled the previous year is on full display for NFL fans to see.
While it’s fair to state that the Colts blocked well as a unit with the first team, there was still one position that is sticking out as a dull area for defenses to attack. That o-line location would be the right guard for Indianapolis.
With this subject set up, it’s time to dive into why the Colts’ front office must act and finally throw an established name into the depth chart to either start or add solid competition to the right guard position on their offensive line.
For this piece, I’ll be utilizing the grades from Pro Football Focus to highlight the simple reason that Indianapolis needs to either sign one of the remaining free-agent guards to start or at least provide depth and competition to a position on the line that desperately seems to need it.
For those unaware, it’s essentially on a 0-100 scale, with 50 being mediocre/average.
Last season was a bad year, plain and simple. But, I’ll be highlighting the season-long grades of offensive lineman Danny Pinter and Will Fries to reflect how they played the right guard position. They were also the two players with the most snaps taken in what was a revolving door on the roster. Below is a brief rundown of the snaps, pass/run blocking grades, and sack/pressures allowed from the aforementioned duo.
Danny Pinter
- 216 snaps
- 36.2 pass-blocking grade
- 47.0 run-blocking grade
- 3 sacks/9 pressures allowed
Will Fries
- 641 snaps (most at right guard in 2022)
- 44.4 pass-blocking grade
- 66.2 run-blocking grade
- 1 sack/20 pressures allowed
This gives an idea of how the two mainstays at the right guard played. Overall, it’s simply not good. This was especially the case without a halfway mobile QB behind center.
Fast-track to the first game of the NFL preseason in 2023 against the Bills, and it looks as if things aren’t off to a hot start for this position again. This time, rookie undrafted free agent Emil Ekiyor will get the grade since Pinter played at center and played more efficiently in his natural alignment. These grades aren’t for a season but just the Buffalo preseason opener.
Emil Ekiyor
- 38 snaps
- 22.3 pass-blocking grade
- 47.4 run-blocking grade
- 1 sack/3 pressures allowed
Will Fries
- 29 snaps
- 30.7 pass-blocking grade
- 45.9 run-blocking grade
- 0 sacks/1 pressure allowed
The moral of these statistics is that Fries isn’t showing out as a starter so far, and it’s leaking into the preseason, albeit against a tough Bills defensive front with serious depth. But, 30.7 is a bad grade for pass protection and not far off from an undrafted free agent in Ekiyor.
Given that Pinter previously showed he isn’t a solid option, this is starting to look concerning for the Colts at right guard.
Camp darling Arlington Hambright could indeed see work at right guard despite showing promise at left tackle against Buffalo, but it’s also likely not enough to warrant the Colts and general manager Chris Ballard to ignore a signing. Three solid veteran options are out there that likely aren’t going to break the bank much, if at all.
Below is a small list of the names that the Colts should seriously consider, along with games played/started, accolades, and years in the league.
Gabe Jackson
- 131 games/130 started
- 9 total years
Andrew Norwell
- 128 games/127 started
- 9 total years
- 1x First Team All-Pro Selection (2017 w/ Carolina Panthers)
Dalton Risner
- 62 games/62 started
- 4 total years
These are names that are going to be cheap alternatives to letting the current depth stay put and potentially throw rookie QB Anthony Richardson into the fray to be put on his back too much. The Colts don’t want him to deal with interior pressure again and again as he develops.
Dalton Risner is the most attractive option, given his 100% starting acumen and his youth compared to Andrew Norwell and Gabe Jackson. But, don’t sleep on the veterans, they are wanting to prove just as much as Risner that they belong to a team and are in a starting position. Indianapolis could be the destination for that to happen for any one of these three.
Outlook
The Colts’ most uncertain position last year was a right guard (outside of quarterback). Now that the QB debacle is handled, this is next.
Given that Indianapolis wants to keep Richardson safe and comfortable under center, it only makes perfect sense to push Fries and potentially add a full-time, legitimate starting right guard. Internal pressure is the worst for any quarterback, but especially a young talent who’s just getting his feet wet as a professional.
