2022 OL: Current projection, last year's info, key questions, and polls

[EastStreet]

Please read OP before voting

 

• Roster INs and OUTs
  • Already under contract
    • Nelson LG
      • Down year due to foot and back issues/surgery. Started 13/17 games
      • Only graded 69.1 via PFF, but also surrendered only one sack
    • Kelly OC
      • A bit beat up early. Started 14/17 games
      • Further regressed to 56.9 PFF, and gave up 3 sacks
    • Smith RT
      • Also missed time due to injury, 11/17, missing 6 of the first 7 games.
      • After he got back, he was petty elite, grading 80.6, but did give up 4 sacks
    • Pinter iOL
      • Started 3 games at OC when Kelly was out and graded 74.7, while not allowing a sack (pretty impressive)
    • Fries iOL
      • No starts, but got a few snaps in 2 games. Graded 54.8
  • Added or extended or re-signed
    • Rainmann T or ?
      • Our 3rd round pick. Several, or even most had him going in the bottom half of the 1st round. 
      • PFF ranked him the 18th best overall prospect, and graded him 94.6 for the season. 
      • Age is a bit of concern, as is the small conference background (MAC has put out plenty of good NFL OL though)
      • Elite RAS, and only 2 years at OT (which he was All-MAC)
    • Pryor Swing T
      • Started 5 games (IIRC, 2 at LT, 2 at RT, 1 at G), but got snaps in 14 games
      • Graded nicely at 76.5, giving up zero sacks
      • Not sure why we didn't see him more at LT instead of waiting till end of season.
      • Signed a one year 5.5M contract. I think I would have gone 2 years given the cost and his swing value at minimum.
    • Dennis Kelly Swing T
      • Started the last 4 games for GB last season, grading at 70.4 with only 1 sack allowed
      • 32 years old, but still solid. At worst he's a high quality depth swing T
      • Contract details not available, but played for GB on a one year 1Mish contract last year
    • Reserve/Future Murray and O'Donnell
      • Murray - CFL guy with good upside but still a long shot
      • O'Donnell - upside, and second year with Indy (PS)
    • UDFAs French and Van Demark, and former UDFA Kemp ?
      • All long shots that will need time if they do end up sticking
  • Lost
    • Fisher LT
      • Returned from 2020 injury and just never played up to expectations.
      • Good in the run game for the most part, but horrible in pass pro. Graded 68.2 and gave up a team high 7 sacks.
      • Caliz (Stampede Blue) credits Fisher with 2 losses (Balt and TB) due to whiffs that directly translated to game losing strip sacks of Wentz. 
      • Still has not found a job
    • Glowinski RG
      • 70.1 PFF and only 2 sacks allowed. One of his best seasons ever if not the best.
      • Signed a 3 year / 20M (6.6M year) contract with the Giants. Modest, but well deserved. Hope we don't miss him too much
    • Reed iOL depth
      • Got a little action, and graded 67.2
      • Signed an uber cheap deal with MN for 2 years totaling 4.5M (2.25M a year)
      • I like Glow better, but can't believe we let Reed get away for that cheap. 
    • Davenport T depth
      • Was pretty awful grading 45.3 and allowing 4 sacks in less than 300 snaps
      • IIRC, signed a 1 year league min (about 1M) with the Bears
• Assumed depth based on aggregate of sites
  • Starters
    • LT - Pryor
    • LG - Nelson
    • OC - Kelly
    • RG - Pinter
    • RT - Smith
  • Depth
    • Swing Tackle - Dennis Kelly
    • TBD but likely OT - Rainmann
    • Swing iOL - Fries (now taking OC snaps)
• Key questions / comments
  • LT - Can Pryor lock it down, or does Kelly or Rainmann challenge?
  • RG - Can Pinter lock it down, or does Indy look for a FA or perhaps switch things up
  • OC - Will Kelly right the ship, or regress further
  • iOL depth - however you look at it, we are super weak here
  • Nelson - will the back issues linger, or does he get back to pre-2021 form. and when will he get an extension?
  • T depth - while the LT starter may can concern in some, the overall depth with Kelly and Rainmann added, is pretty darn good. 

 

Article from Stampede Blue (short, simple, but decent)

https://www.stampedeblue.com/2022/5/17/23068652/how-much-have-the-colts-improved-offensive-line

[Solid84]

I think Pryor takes the LT spot, has a rough start but gets better as the season goes. 
 

Pinter will lock in the RG spot. I feel he’ll have a decent to good season start to finish. 
 

I think we’ve seen the best of Kelly and he’ll manage an average season. 
 

I have a bad feeling the time of seeing Q play a full season is over. I think he’ll have a good season overall, but he’ll miss games. 

[AwesomeAustin]

I didn’t vote bc honestly I have no clue how this will play out.  Should be interesting to watch and I have my fingers crossed bc our success hinges on how the lines of both sides of the ball perform. A lot of change and questions for both so I’m taking a wait and see approach. 

[holeymoley99]

The more I read and see Rain man the more he impresses me,think he wows through camp and takes the starting job over Pryor who is a perfect jack of all trades along the line, he can fill any spot but Center and hold his own.

[DaColts85]

As Ballard has mentioned the best 5 will play. I think Pryor plays RG and Dennis Kelly plays LT to start the year. The good thing is we have a few guys that have good versatility on the line. Good depth as well imo. 

[Solid84]

4 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

As Ballard has mentioned the best 5 will play. I think Pryor plays RG and Dennis Kelly plays LT to start the year. The good thing is we have a few guys that have good versatility on the line. Good depth as well imo. 

I could see Dennis Kelly at LT, Pryor at RG and Pinter taking the OC spot during the season. I don’t believe Ryan Kelly is a sure thing anymore. 

[Smonroe]

6 hours ago, holeymoley99 said:

The more I read and see Rain man the more he impresses me,think he wows through camp and takes the starting job over Pryor who is a perfect jack of all trades along the line, he can fill any spot but Center and hold his own.

 

Bowen asked on his podcast if there are any non first round rookies who've started opening day at LT?  

 

He may be the future, but you have to think they'll ease him in.  As others have said, Kelly has a better chance to beat out Pryor just based on his experience.

 

It is nice to think that we may have depth at LT.  (But a lot of us thought the same thing going into camp last year, lol)

[twfish]

4 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

 

Bowen asked on his podcast if there are any non first round rookies who've started opening day at LT?  

 

He may be the future, but you have to think they'll ease him in.  As others have said, Kelly has a better chance to beat out Pryor just based on his experience.

 

It is nice to think that we may have depth at LT.  (But a lot of us thought the same thing going into camp last year, lol)

I don't recall anyone being comfortable last year with tackle depth, maybe felt better with Fisher coming in but his injury was concerning still. I do think you have to ignore where Raimann was drafted. He was definitely thought as a possible first round pick if not early 2nd. However he fell due to a degenerative knee issue, one that he not really had any injury with. The kid is talented and i believe the future is bright for him.

[Smonroe]

21 minutes ago, twfish said:

I don't recall anyone being comfortable last year with tackle depth, maybe felt better with Fisher coming in but his injury was concerning still. I do think you have to ignore where Raimann was drafted. He was definitely thought as a possible first round pick if not early 2nd. However he fell due to a degenerative knee issue, one that he not really had any injury with. The kid is talented and i believe the future is bright for him.

 

I'm not sure anyone was "comfortable" with the LT depth going into camp last year.  But we thought we had experienced players in Davenport and Tevi.  They both had starts in the NFL.  

 

I know Raimann and Pryor have no and little experience respectively.  But with the addition of Kelly, I feel better going into this season.  I want Raimann to be our LT for the next 10 years.  I hope he works out.  Great young man!

[DaColts85]

3 hours ago, Solid84 said:

I could see Dennis Kelly at LT, Pryor at RG and Pinter taking the OC spot during the season. I don’t believe Ryan Kelly is a sure thing anymore. 

I can see that assuming Kelly doesn’t play all 17+ games this year. He might miss a game or two for Pinter to step in but I still see Ryan Kelly as top 5 at his position. Just my opinion obviously. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

1. I voted Yup only because I think he starts on opening day, eventually the Rook may take that spot.

 

2. I voted 60's. He will be at least average, not a turnstile, but nothing special.

 

3. I voted Yup.

 

4. 60's, he will be average.

 

5. I voted Kelly will right the ship. Not only that I think he will be very good.

 

6. I voted Yup. Nelson will be great.

 

I think overall we basically have 2 average starters = LT, RG. We have 2 very good starters = C, RT (Smith). We have a great LG. Overall that = a good O.Line at worse, really in the very good category when you factor in our depth.

[holeymoley99]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

I'm not sure anyone was "comfortable" with the LT depth going into camp last year.  But we thought we had experienced players in Davenport and Tevi.  They both had starts in the NFL.  

 

I know Raimann and Pryor have no and little experience respectively.  But with the addition of Kelly, I feel better going into this season.  I want Raimann to be our LT for the next 10 years.  I hope he works out.  Great young man!

Tevi was almost universally thought to be a waste , if you go back and read last year's threads on him it isnt pretty at all. Davenport was thought to have an outside shot to be serviceable but few had any faith he should start. 

[John Hammonds]

I think Raimann will impress in preseason, but Pryor will get the start.  Barely.

Probably by game 10, I think Raimann will wind up starting.  Either due to superior play or injury.

I sure hope Kelly returns to form.  I think he will.  But it won't last.

[EastStreet]

13 hours ago, holeymoley99 said:

The more I read and see Rain man the more he impresses me,think he wows through camp and takes the starting job over Pryor who is a perfect jack of all trades along the line, he can fill any spot but Center and hold his own.

Rainmann looking good in camp, is what I expect, I just believe Pryor has earned the job given how well he did last season. So long as Pryor doesn't look bad, I think he'll be starting, be it at LT or RG. My bet though is LT. Pryor was just super solid wherever he was starting last season. As long as his body is still right, I'm confident he'll be effective. Rainmann just has a lot to learn regardless of how he might flash. 

12 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

As Ballard has mentioned the best 5 will play. I think Pryor plays RG and Dennis Kelly plays LT to start the year. The good thing is we have a few guys that have good versatility on the line. Good depth as well imo. 

see directly below. 

8 hours ago, Solid84 said:

I could see Dennis Kelly at LT, Pryor at RG and Pinter taking the OC spot during the season. I don’t believe Ryan Kelly is a sure thing anymore. 

 

Responding to the two directly above. I though a lot about that (above) should Pinter somehow fail to impress. Overall, he looked great playing center, and seemed to have fantastic vertical punch after the snap. Playing G though is different, but I love his chances. If we still had DeGuglielmo, I might expect more of a radical shakeup, and some musical chairs to start the season, but we have Strausser who hasn't shown to be near as aggressive in mixing things up. Strausser IMO was even super slow last season to insert guys like Pryor when Fisher was incredibly bad at times. 

 

7 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

Bowen asked on his podcast if there are any non first round rookies who've started opening day at LT?  

 

He may be the future, but you have to think they'll ease him in.  As others have said, Kelly has a better chance to beat out Pryor just based on his experience.

 

It is nice to think that we may have depth at LT.  (But a lot of us thought the same thing going into camp last year, lol)

I agree Rainmann will be eased in, and Kelly might have the better chance at a week one start than Rainmann. But I don't think any of the scenarios are far fetched. And I think god-forbid early injury (anywhere) and/or the situation at RG could push different decisions. 

 

But overall, I love the depth at T this season. Sooooo much better than years past. But I also hate iOL depth. If Pinter is starting, our depth at this point is only Fries and some of the other long shots we just picked up. And I'm not confident in Fries at all at this point. 

7 hours ago, twfish said:

I don't recall anyone being comfortable last year with tackle depth, maybe felt better with Fisher coming in but his injury was concerning still. I do think you have to ignore where Raimann was drafted. He was definitely thought as a possible first round pick if not early 2nd. However he fell due to a degenerative knee issue, one that he not really had any injury with. The kid is talented and i believe the future is bright for him.

see directly below.

7 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

I'm not sure anyone was "comfortable" with the LT depth going into camp last year.  But we thought we had experienced players in Davenport and Tevi.  They both had starts in the NFL.  

 

I know Raimann and Pryor have no and little experience respectively.  But with the addition of Kelly, I feel better going into this season.  I want Raimann to be our LT for the next 10 years.  I hope he works out.  Great young man!

responding to both immediately above.

 

Davenport and Tevi both scared the heck out of me. Didn't like either at all. And I think most were of the same opinion, at least anyone that looked at both closely. Overall, Kelly is an obvious upgrade over both. Rainmann to me was a no-brainer where we drafted him, and should be at minimum good depth. So loving the Pryor-Kelly-Rainmann group. Perhaps no clear elite stud for starting LT, but it's likely a quality and solid threesome for both starter and depth. 

5 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

I can see that assuming Kelly doesn’t play all 17+ games this year. He might miss a game or two for Pinter to step in but I still see Ryan Kelly as top 5 at his position. Just my opinion obviously. 

His grading has been declining year after year since he extended. I don't see him anywhere near top 5. Not sure if the early injury plagued him all last year, but he was simply not good. He needs a strong season IMO or will be on the hot seat next year. 

4 hours ago, holeymoley99 said:

Tevi was almost universally thought to be a waste , if you go back and read last year's threads on him it isnt pretty at all. Davenport was thought to have an outside shot to be serviceable but few had any faith he should start. 

YUP. Both scared me... 

1 hour ago, John Hammonds said:

I think Raimann will impress in preseason, but Pryor will get the start.  Barely.

Probably by game 10, I think Raimann will wind up starting.  Either due to superior play or injury.

I sure hope Kelly returns to form.  I think he will.  But it won't last.

It's going to be interesting. I think injury could force different shuffles. If RK for instance gets injured, you'd see Pinter likely move to C, then Pryor (or someone else) take RG, then Kelly or Rainmann at LT. God forbid Q go down, and without Glow and Reed, we'd see a total shuffle. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

The 'Rain Man' can be his new nick name. I love it  . He will eventually be good in this league. 

[stitches]

I'm not optimistic about Pryor. The problem is... I'm not excited about Dennis Kelly either... the only player I'm excited about is Raimann and he's a rookie. No idea how much of a shot he will get with 2 vets on the roster. By the end of the year I want to see him with the starting LT spot. 

 

I expect Pinter to be good at RG. 

 

I expect Q to be a monster, as long as he's healthy. 

[EastStreet]

22 minutes ago, stitches said:

I'm not optimistic about Pryor. The problem is... I'm not excited about Dennis Kelly either... the only player I'm excited about is Raimann and he's a rookie. No idea how much of a shot he will get with 2 vets on the roster. By the end of the year I want to see him with the starting LT spot. 

 

I expect Pinter to be good at RG. 

 

I expect Q to be a monster, as long as he's healthy. 

 

Honest question. What did Pryor do last season that keeps you from being confident?

[stitches]

1 hour ago, EastStreet said:

 

Honest question. What did Pryor do last season that keeps you from being confident?

 

That's the problem... he played relatively well as a rotational player, plugging holes here and there, but he had very limited number of snaps at LT(1 game?). Huge majority of his snaps were at every other position except for LT. I just won't trust it until I see it over prolonged period of time, especially for a player that has much larger sample of being bad to mediocre before last season. I want to see how he handles himself once teams actually know he will be the one starting there and they start attacking him in accordance with a scouting report.

 

We will see... at this point I don't know how anyone can be confident in Pryor as a LT. Maybe hopeful... but confident? 

[DaColts85]

12 hours ago, EastStreet said:

Responding to the two directly above. I though a lot about that (above) should Pinter somehow fail to impress. Overall, he looked great playing center, and seemed to have fantastic vertical punch after the snap. Playing G though is different, but I love his chances. If we still had DeGuglielmo, I might expect more of a radical shakeup, and some musical chairs to start the season, but we have Strausser who hasn't shown to be near as aggressive in mixing things up. Strausser IMO was even super slow last season to insert guys like Pryor when Fisher was incredibly bad at times. 

As was said above by a poster. Pryor had minimal snaps at LT. He played RT and RG more. So again the key reason I see him at RG is because he was very solid there. Kelly and Pryor are probably a wash at LT but to me Pryor gives you the better option for RG. 

[DaColts85]

12 hours ago, EastStreet said:

18 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

 

His grading has been declining year after year since he extended. I don't see him anywhere near top 5. Not sure if the early injury plagued him all last year, but he was simply not good. He needs a strong season IMO or will be on the hot seat next year. 

His injury did hinder him. Clearly! His off the field issue did as well would be my guess. The guy still is a Pro Bowl caliber center so sorry I’m not writing anyone off. Down years happen for all players. Q is the most loved and yet had a down year…..

6 hours ago, stitches said:

 

That's the problem... he played relatively well as a rotational player, plugging holes here and there, but he had very limited number of snaps at LT(1 game?). Huge majority of his snaps were at every other position except for LT. I just won't trust it until I see it over prolonged period of time, especially for a player that has much larger sample of being bad to mediocre before last season. I want to see how he handles himself once teams actually know he will be the one starting there and they start attacking him in accordance with a scouting report.

 

We will see... at this point I don't know how anyone can be confident in Pryor as a LT. Maybe hopeful... but confident? 

Exactly!!

[EastStreet]

14 hours ago, stitches said:

 

That's the problem... he played relatively well as a rotational player, plugging holes here and there, but he had very limited number of snaps at LT(1 game?). Huge majority of his snaps were at every other position except for LT. I just won't trust it until I see it over prolonged period of time, especially for a player that has much larger sample of being bad to mediocre before last season. I want to see how he handles himself once teams actually know he will be the one starting there and they start attacking him in accordance with a scouting report.

 

We will see... at this point I don't know how anyone can be confident in Pryor as a LT. Maybe hopeful... but confident? 

Fair enough. I think he was shuffled into LT when Fisher was yanked vs the Raiders, and then played the whole game at LT vs Jax. 

Personally I'm not uber confident in him. Just more confident in him than Fisher... 

[DaColts85]

25 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

Fair enough. I think he was shuffled into LT when Fisher was yanked vs the Raiders, and then played the whole game at LT vs Jax. 

Personally I'm not uber confident in him. Just more confident in him than Fisher... 

Yes. I am done with the Fisher thing. He wanted to much money or too many years. He can sit for another team. 

[LJpalmbeacher2]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:20 AM, DaColts85 said:

As Ballard has mentioned the best 5 will play. I think Pryor plays RG and Dennis Kelly plays LT to start the year. The good thing is we have a few guys that have good versatility on the line. Good depth as well imo. 

 

Hmmm.....like poker......the Best 5 will stay.

[EastStreet]

4 minutes ago, DaColts85 said:

Yes. I am done with the Fisher thing. He wanted to much money or too many years. He can sit for another team. 

Never really like Fisher before the injury. 

So adding him after a major injury which assumed he'd either miss time, or need time ramp back up, just seemed silly to me in the first place. Anyway, just happy that experiment is over. 

[DaColts85]

37 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

Never really like Fisher before the injury. 

So adding him after a major injury which assumed he'd either miss time, or need time ramp back up, just seemed silly to me in the first place. Anyway, just happy that experiment is over. 

I agree and I was also not a fan of him. For half that money maybe but he was never that great before the injury so afterward you have to assume a decrease. 

[EastStreet]

Decent article on Raimann

https://www.si.com/nfl/colts/film/bernhard-raimann-film-room