Its been a lot of shuffling for the Indianapolis Colts offensive line this season, but better days seem to be ahead.
Good news broke Friday when the team gave starting RT Braden Smith no designation for Week 10, meaning he is ready to go.
The Colts have only had their full staring offensive line twice this season, in Week 1 and 2. Since then multiple starters have missed time throughout the season.
Weeks without a starting offensive lineman:
- Week 3: Ryan Kelly
- Week 4: Ryan Kelly, Bernhard Raimann
- Week 5: Bernhard Raimann
- Week 6: Braden Smith
- Week 7: Braden Smith
- Week 8: Braden Smith
- Week 9: Braden Smith
The Colts starting tackles have missed a combined six games already this year, which gave rookie Blake Freeland a chance to show what he could do. He certainly had his rookie struggles, but overall Freeland showed that he belongs at the pro level, and the Colts could have a solid developmental tackle going forward.
While Freeland impressed, the team has to be excited to finally get their full starting offensive line back on the field together for the first time since Week 2 of the season. This upcoming game vs. the New England Patriots is crucial to the teams playoff chances, and now they get a huge boost with Braden Smith back in the fold.
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