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The Indianapolis Colts added offensive line depth to their practice squad to begin preparing for Week 6. But the Colts may not be finished adding new pieces to their offensive line.
NFL Insider Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reported on October 11 that the Colts held a workout for former All-Pro offensive guard Kelechi Osemele.
The 33-year-old guard has played in just eight regular season games over the last three years, including none in 2021. But Osemele made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017, experiencing his best season in 2016 when he made first-team All Pro with the then Oakland Raiders.
What Osemele Would Bring to Colts
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Osemele in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He started at right tackle all 16 games as a rookie. He then moved to left guard for all four of Baltimore’s postseason games on the franchise’s way to a Super Bowl title.
Osemele remained at guard, switching to the left side of the line, during his second season. He has stayed at that spot pretty much since then.
In 2016, Osemele signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Raiders. He made an immediate impact, helping the Raiders offense finish in the Top 10 in several major categories on the team’s way to a 12-4 record. The Raiders made their first playoff appearance that season in 14 years.
Including Osemele, the Raiders had three offensive linemen who made the Pro Bowl in 2016. But Osemele was the only one of the three who made the All-Pro team.
The 33-year-old guard played one more season with the Raiders after his second Pro Bowl appearance, but he didn’t finish his big contract with the team. Osemele played the 2019 season with the New York Jets and the 2020 season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He didn’t play more than five games in either of those seasons because of injuries.
Osemele is past his prime and appears injury prone in his mid-thirties, but as a former All-Pro talent, he may be a veteran worth adding as insurance for the Colts.
Colts Searching for Right Offensive Line Combination
Indianapolis started its third different offensive line combination in as many games during Week 5. The big change came in the team’s Thursday Night Football matchup with the Denver Broncos when the Colts moved right tackle Braden Smith to right guard, switched left tackle Matt Pryor to the opposite tackle spot and started Rookie Bernhard Raimann at left tackle.
The Colts running game improved a little with the big switch, but Indianapolis gave up 6.0 sacks and 12 quarterback hits in pass protection.
On October 10, Wilson reported the Colts hosted offensive tackles Ty Nsekhe and Will Richardson for workouts. When a practice squad spot opened because Indianapolis placed wide receiver Ashton Dulin on injured reserve, the Colts signed Nsekhe to the practice squad.
Adding Osemele to either the active roster or practice squad would give the Colts two new veteran offensive linemen as options to fix the blocking in front of quarterback Matt Ryan. Nsekhe went unselected in the same draft class as Osemele. Both Nsekhe and Osemele have played in more than 90 games.
Neither are spring chickens, but the Colts are searching for immediate help, and not necessarily the long-term answers, along their offensive line.
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