It’s harder than some would assume to find a solid piece at left tackle.
For all quarterbacks not named Tua Tagovailoa, the blind side is the left flank of the offensive line. With the retirement of former mainstay Anthony Castonzo ahead of the 2021 season, the Indianapolis Colts were left with big shoes to fill at the left tackle position. Castonzo provided 10 seasons of consistency, starting all of his 144 contests and adding high-level blocking and protection from the spot for Indianapolis QBs.
After a forgettable season from Eric Fisher, followed by the shaky-at-best Matt Pryor, the Colts knew they needed to do something to solidify the void and remove the need to worry about the QB's blind side.
The Colts answered this in the form of Bernhard Raimann, who they drafted in 2022 out of Central Michigan in the third round. After the aforementioned Pryor struggled mightily, Raimann got his chance to start in 2022 and never looked back, only getting better as each game passed.
Raimann is started to garner national attention, as evident with his inclusion in Jim Wyman’s “2023 All-Breakout Team” list from Pro Football Focus. Let’s dive into why it is no surprise that Raimann makes the team and how he can bring this offseason entry to life in the 2023 campaign.
Wyman gives his reasons for adding Raimann as one of the two tackles:
With all the issues the Colts had on the offensive line last season, surprisingly, the one guy who didn’t have a down year was Raimann, who was consistently solid across the board, finishing with a 73.3 offensive grade, 74.7 run-blocking grade, and a 71.4 pass-blocking grade. After a 48.5 pass-blocking grade against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, Raimann didn’t have a single game below 70 the rest of the season. If the rest of the offensive line bounces back to what each member has historically been capable of, then Anthony Richardson will have plenty of time to throw in his rookie year.
Raimann was thrown into the fire in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos, where he would immediately struggle, and with good reason. These were his first NFL live-game snaps. But as the contests and experience began to compile, Raimann put himself in a great spot to hold this position for years to come if he can continue progressing in 2023.
Raimann would end the season ranking in the top three for the Colts in important blocking grades as far as the offensive line is concerned. After 13 games, he put together the following marks, per Pro Football Focus:
- Overall Blocking Grade: 73.3 (2nd)
- Run Blocking Grade: 74.7 (2nd)
- Pass Blocking Grade: 71.4 (3rd)
When put into perspective that Raimann was either behind right tackle Braden Smith or powerhouse left guard Quenton Nelson (in some cases better than Nelson) in these categories, it shows just how dominant and efficient he was starting to become. He also is a converted tight end, which he played in college.
Raimann was dealing with a monster-sized quarterback dilemma with two of the three (Matt Ryan and Nick Foles) being nearly immobile, often unable to escape or move in the pocket. Raimann still put up respectable numbers and continued to play at an efficient level.
Now, with the potential to have Anthony Richardson start at quarterback, it could make Raimann’s job easier since his field general can not only move away from pressure but can make opposing defenses pay the price for coming after him.
Raimann may just be scratching the surface of what he can accomplish at one of the hardest positions to play on the offensive line. It’s also interesting to think about how high his ceiling could be if this is an early indication of what’s to come.
For the most part, last season was one to overlook for the Colts. However, Raimann is a potential star on the team and could be as solid of a piece as Castonzo was for a decade.
While Castonzo didn’t light the NFL on fire with All-Pro or Pro Bowl nods, he was still about as reliable as anyone would want from their left tackle. If Raimann can get to that level, the Colts will be very appreciative. But if he can exceed that and become a legitimate deterrent to defensive ends trying to pursue the passer, then that will give the Colts much less to worry about.
This would make any coach, but especially a first-year leader like Shane Steichen, incredibly happy.
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