Good news and bad news for the Indianapolis Colts.
Good news: Right Tackle Braden Smith is off of the COVID-19 list. He can practice this week in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday as the Colts face a must-win game in Week 17.
Bad News: Left Tackle Anthony Castonzo is out for the rest of the year. Per Frank Reich, he will have season ending ankle surgery tomorrow.
This leaves a massive void on the Colts offensive line. It wasn’t like the left tackle position was flourishing with options in the first place either. Backup Le’Raven Clark was already out for the season with a torn achilles.
So heading into Wednesday, it was J’Marcus Webb and Chaz Green on the depth chart. Or could Quenton Nelson get another look there too?
Decisions decisions.
Chris Ballard did do some shopping though. The man in charge signed veteran tackle Jared Veldheer to the practice squad. Veldheer, a former third-round pick by the Oakland Raiders, is 33-years-old and last played for the Green Bay Packers. He started a playoff game for them last year.
So how does Veldheer stack up with maybe sliding Nelson over? That’s what Kevin Bowen discussed on The Ride with JMV Wednesday afternoon. KB told JMV that it would be an interesting scenario.
“I would probably start Nelson, but the signing of Veldheer is interesting,” KB said. “The thing that would benefit him coming in and starting after a week would be from a mental communication standpoint. There’s not as much on his plate at left tackle as opposed to center. If he checks off physically, maybe with three days of practice you can put him out there.”
Depending on what happens, it might be a revolving door of tackles if things aren’t going the Colts way.
It’s got to be all hands on deck.
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