Colts' Most Important Loss is One of NFL's Best Linemen

The Indianapolis Colts have largely done a great job adding talent in free agency this offseason, signing Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Plus, whether you're for or against it, the Colts brought in their desired target at quarterback, Daniel Jones.

However, part of this more aggressive approach by general manager Chris Ballard and the Colts means that you can't always afford to bring back all of your own players. This manifested in guys like Will Fries and Dayo Odeyingbo having high price tags placed on them by other teams to the point where the Colts couldn't responsibly match.

For as much as the Colts have gained in the last month, Ryan Phillips of SI.com thinks Indy is really going to miss Fries after he departed for the Minnesota Vikings.

"Fries was one of the NFL's best guards in 2024 before he suffered a fractured right tibia in Week 5 and missed the rest of the season," Phillips wrote. "Still, he was excellent in that short stint, and the Colts had to watch the 26-year-old bolt for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. The Penn State product earned a grade of 86.9 from Pro Football Focus, which was good enough for the Vikings, who signed him to a five-year, $88 million contract. Not bad for a former seventh-round pick."

As Phillips mentioned, Fries indeed was one of the NFL's best guards before his injury, as his 86.9 grade was third in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. A team source said they felt Fries had been the Colts' best lineman in 2024 leading up to his injury and that they were hopeful of retaining him.

Last year, the Colts did foresee having to replace some players this offseason, as both Fries and starting center Ryan Kelly left in free agency, and right tackle Braden Smith's status with the team was up in the air before agreeing to a reworked one-year contract. The Colts drafted Matt Goncalves and Tanor Bortolini in the third and fourth rounds last year, respectively, but it appears Colts leadership has some apprehension about replacing Fries at right guard with either of them.

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“We’ve got to have flexibility inside and outside," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said this week about Goncalves potentially being the right guard. "Matt’s had the one single snap or whatever it was inside at guard, but he’s good at tackle. We’ll explore those options.”

The best-case scenario for the Colts at center is that their acquisition of Bortolini hits, and he becomes their center of the future. This offseason could bring them an answer to their center position for the next decade.

While Goncalves is an easy consideration, right guard, and right tackle is a little more complicated.

The Colts drafted Blake Freeland in 2023 to be their swing tackle, but it hasn't worked out. In each of his two seasons, he's held the worst PFF grade among Colts tackles. Goncalves took over the swing tackle role as a rookie in 2024 and did pretty well. His 65.9 grade ranked fourth among NFL rookie tackles after playing 563 snaps between left and right tackle.

Things could change if the Colts bring in some reliable new players, but right now, Goncalves is too important as the Colts' swing tackle to be moved to right guard. History says Smith is going to miss time at right tackle, and Freeland still can't be trusted, so it's up to Goncalves. Hypothetically, taking him from the starting right guard spot and putting him at right tackle to fill in for Smith would be too disruptive. The easier solution is to find a new permanent starting right guard and to let Goncalves be Smith's successor whenever it's time.

The origin of these concerns all circle back to Fries' departure. Indeed, they will miss him.

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