One of the most anticipated training camp position battles for the Indianapolis Colts this year was left tackle. But all indications are that the left tackle battle for the Colts will be finished before training camp.
In fact, it might already be decided.
When faced with a question about the competition for the starting left tackle role, Colts head coach Frank Reich made it clear to the media that there’s a clear favorite with a week remaining in training camp.
“I think Matt’s [Pryor] done a good job, and I think he’s given us a lot of confidence in him going into this week and into the season,” Reich said. “I think that’s our mindset right now.
“I like the progress that he is making and feel good about the opportunity for him going forward.”
Pryor has been competing with rookie Bernhard Raimann at left tackle over the last few weeks. But Pryor entered camp as the likely choice to start, and clearly, that hasn’t changed.
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Pryor at Left Tackle Solidifies Colts Offensive Line
The fact that Indianapolis plans to start a relatively unknown former sixth-round pick at left tackle will make a lot of people nervous going into the season. But since the Colts acquired Pryor in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on August 31 last year, he has played well.
He started 10 games at left guard for the Eagles in 2020, but last season, he transitioned well to tackle. He started five games for the Colts, playing particularly well against now current teammate Yannick Ngakoue and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17.
“Matt Pryor played really good for us this year, and I think people kind of ignored it,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on March 22. “Even against the Raiders, when you go back and watch the Raider game, he was outstanding at left tackle, so we’ll give him the first shot at it.”
The Colts signed Pryor to a one-year contract worth as much as $6 million in March. With the starting job, he has the opportunity to earn a much bigger deal next March by performing well this season.
But he will probably have to play very well to hold onto the position in Indianapolis beyond 2022.
Raimann Still Developing at Left Tackle
While Pryor will start the season, that doesn’t mean Raimann still isn’t the long-term solution at left tackle for the Colts. Indianapolis drafted him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Reich said he definitely belongs at the NFL level and likes his current career trajectory, but the coach also explained the margin for error at left tackle is so slim that it’s hard to fully trust a rookie.
“You can see there’s times when a little bit of inexperience shows, but the one thing that is very evident is that he has all the physical tools, and that he has the physical toughness to play the position,” Reich said. “As he continues to hone and refine his game at this level, I feel like he’s going to be a factor.”
Even though the competition to start at left tackle in Week 1 seems all but finished, it sounds as though if Raimann continues to compete, he may start at some point during his rookie season.
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Frank Reich Indicates Starter Has Emerged for Colts at Left Tackle