Could Colts' Failure to Address Right Guard Be a Huge Mistake?

After the right guard position was one of the biggest issues for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, it seems as if the team is taking a similar approach again as training camp approaches.

In 2022, the Indianapolis Colts struggled on the offensive line. Well-known and effective names like Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith were all shells of their former selves, failing to find any rhythm until the near end of the year when it was too late.

However, it's hard to put all of the blame on them, as the left tackle and right guard positions were trusted too much with the talent that was on the roster. In short, Matt Pryor and Danny Pinter were given the nod of confidence to start by the Colts. This was against the notion of bringing in veteran talent to push these two and solidify that they were ready.

What this led to was the two worst blockers on the offensive line for the season. Fast-tracking to 2023, the left tackle position appears to be in the correct hands, with Bernhard Raimann showing much promise. However, the same cannot be said for the current state of right guard.

This position will be the subject of this piece. While Will Fries and undrafted free agent Emil Ekiyor could be good with time, it's interesting that the Colts have treated this position almost identically to last season.

I'll break down three reasons why they cannot make this mistake for another consecutive campaign.

#1.) Will Fries and Emil Ekiyor are Unproven

While it is true that Fries played right guard more than anyone last year, it's also true that he was overwhelmed at times in pass protection and still has room to improve with run blocking, too.

Fries showed some glimpses of his potential. But, at times, also looked every bit like a seventh-round selection who needs competition from a veteran presence. Fries had impressive blocks with the running attack, implementing his strength and bullying the opposition across the line. Ultimately, he went into the 2023 offseason likely looking to vastly improve both areas of his blocking game.

As for Ekiyor, he was originally projected to be a fourth-rounder out of Alabama. After issues with his heart health, he flew right off of NFL team radars, resulting in him going undrafted. The Colts did think highly of him, snagging the guard immediately after the draft concluded.

Ekiyor had hype for obvious reasons. He showed he could be a solid blocker in Nick Saban's scheme at Alabama. This will catch the eye of many guard-needy NFL teams. It still doesn't change that he hasn't taken an NFL snap.

Despite how mediocre Pryor and Pinter were, they both still had more NFL experience when getting thrown into the starting lineup than Fries or Ekiyor.

This isn't to say Fries and Ekiyor aren't or can't be talented enough to make an impact. This states that the Colts can't assume either is good enough with how little they've shown. This unproven element is enough for me to believe it's in the Colts' best interest to bring in a depth piece to ensure this isn't a gaping hole come mid-season on the offensive line.

#2.) The QB Isn't a Veteran This Time

The Colts have a dynamic and exciting prospect on the slate to be the franchise QB in Anthony Richardson. However, he needs interior reliability from the O-Line this season. He's far too inexperienced and young to have to consistently deal with what former Colts QB Matt Ryan had to in 2022.

Yes, Ryan isn't mobile by most standards. When compared to Richardson, he's essentially a station wagon with no gas in the tank. But what he has on Richardson is a ridiculous amount of experience.

At times during his career with the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan dealt with poor receiving corps, bad blocking, and no running attack in the backfield. This experience ultimately didn't result in much during his time as a Colt, but Ryan knew what to expect being in the league for 10+ seasons once the blocking failed him.

Richardson is walking into something he's never seen before and with a small sample size of college experience. While Richardson will have the mobility to escape the pocket, he also wants to be able to throw from it, too. QB is an evolving position, but it's still most important to throw well from a solid pocket for anybody at field general.

The Colts can't make the mistake of just trusting Fries and Ekiyor on the interior. With a QB who still needs in-game experience, they need to be sure there's somebody at right guard who's serviceable. Even if it takes a signing to establish one of the aforementioned linemen as the guy, it's 100% worth it with Richardson taking his first professional snaps.

#3.) The Offensive System is Brand New

New Colts head coach Shane Steichen is a brilliant offensive mind, that's not in doubt. However, he's bringing a new offensive play sheet to his first-ever NFL head coaching gig. This is arguably the most important reason that the Colts can't sleep on right guard again.

While former head coach Frank Reich wasn't as aggressive of a schemer, he was still going into his fourth season as the Colts' head coach. When the decisions were made to roll with Pinter at the position, Reich had the experience and knowledge of the franchise, which helped him to make various changes, despite nearly none of them (outside of Fries) working at all.

Also, with the fact that Steichen's scheme will likely feature a lot of the ground game, this makes it imperative to shore up the right guard so that inside runs are more effective. Fries is a far better run-blocker than a pass-blocker, but he still left something to be desired with his strengths.

It can't be leaned on again that Richardson and Jonathan Taylor can compensate for a spot on the offensive line that "might" be ready with the light competition the Colts currently have for the starting role. This will be a big part of how the Colts move the ball, so they need to make this a bigger priority to find more ways to push Fries and Ekiyor.

Outlook

Fries and Ekiyor are good enough to be on an NFL roster, that's fair to say. It might also be that Indianapolis is confident enough in these two youngsters to let them battle it out to start. That's also understandable to believe in what you've got.

However, the Colts also have a grim reminder of what happens when unproven or raw talent is trusted to play without the right level of competition in place.

There are cheap, veteran talents that are looking for a roster spot and another chance to shine. Sign one and push these two guards. Regardless of who starts in the situation, it will likely be the best suitor with more names fighting for the spot. 

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