Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Matt Goncalves (71) stands on the field Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, during Indianapolis Colts Training Camp at Grand Park in Westfield. Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Colts' Matt Goncalves Answers Call in Early Test

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Zach Hicks | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Indianapolis Colts made a risky bet this offseason, letting Will Fries leave in free agency with the hope that second-year offensive tackle Matt Goncalves could kick inside to replace him.

Goncalves had fewer than 50 career snaps at guard under his belt before the year, and now the Colts are trusting him to start alongside a rookie center.

While the move seemed a bit odd on paper, Goncalves has the potential to be an outstanding guard in this league. At 6'6" 330 pounds, he offers excellent length and power to play the position.

Matt Goncalves legit had Quenton Nelson level eyes on Sunday. He exceeded my expectations in a big way, and I was probably one of his bigger fans among Colts' fans/media pic.twitter.com/r9a9KBbioj
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) September 8, 2025

Once he got the technical aspects of playing the position down and built confidence, there was no question that he could be a starter for the Colts. The only concern was how he would look early in the year and what potential struggles could do to his confidence.

I was always fairly optimistic regarding his potential, but I expected there to be some issues in the first month of the year. He had an up and down preseason, and he had some struggles with his hands on angle sets.

Those struggles seemingly disappeared overnight, though, as the second year lineman put together a fantastic showing in week one against the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins may not be the best team in the world, but their defensive line is nothing to laugh at. Zach Sieler is one of the more underrated players in the league, and Kenneth Grant was just a first-round pick in this past draft.

The edge room in Miami may even be more impressive, as Chop Robinson, Jaelan Phillips, Matthew Judon, and Bradley Chubb make a nice group on the outside. Those players, alongside a blitz-heavy defensive scheme, were supposed to be a tough test for a young right guard.

Instead, Goncalves arguably played the best game in his young career. He allowed just one pressure in 33 pass blocking snaps and made several massive blocks in the run game.

Pro Football Focus currently has him graded as the number four guard in pass protection through one week and the number four guard overall in play. He was outstanding throughout the entire game.

Goncalves is the main subject of my film room series on YouTube this season and I was ecstatic to break down this performance today.

Again, I expected some early-season struggles, not for him to carry on what Fries started early last season. If Goncalves continues to play like this all season long, the Colts are going to be tough to beat in 2025.