The Indianapolis Colts have lost offensive guard Danny Pinter to a broken ankle according to a report from Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star. Pinter suffered the injury in Thursday night's win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and it looks like the worst case was confirmed.
"Danny Pinter broke his ankle," wrote Erickson on Twitter. "He'll be out for the year."
Typically a broken ankle is a six-week injury, so we expect more details to emerge about the injury in the very near future.
Pinter saw action in all-17 games last year with three starts. Those three starts were the first-three games of the year, and he was replaced after he and the Colts struggled to a 1-1-1 start.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) wasn't kind to Pinter last year with a 44.7 grade on 292 offensive snaps, including a paltry 36.2 pass-blocking grade.
He was listed as the backup center on the Colts' preseason-depth chart. He saw 50 of his 292 snaps at center last season. Despite his struggles last season, the 27-year old's ability to provide depth at guard and center appeared to be a key to him claiming a roster spot in 2023.
Dakoda Shepley is next in line for the Colts at center. However, Shepley was not part of our 53-man roster projection even with the injury to Pinter. He has seen just 14 snaps on offense in three years in the NFL.
Mandatory roster cutdowns from 90 to 53 players is Tuesday. The Colts will be one of several teams scouring the waiver wire for quality offensive linemen. Free agent Dalton Risner is still available and may be willing to take backup money after languishing on the market all summer.
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