Underrated Colts Powerhouse Named 'Steal' in Free Agency

The Indianapolis Colts have a long list of free agents this spring following a disheartening campaign in the 2024 season. With expiring contracts on both sides of the ball, general manager Chris Ballard needs to determine who to re-sign before the 2025 season.

One important free agent is right guard Will Fries. After being drafted out of Penn State in 2021, Fries has been Indy's go-to guy at right guard over the past two seasons. Even though an injury ended his 2024 season short, he still put on a show in five starts.

ESPN analyst Ben Solak named Fries as one of the league's most underrated free agents, calling him one of the best young guards in football.

"A relative unknown in the larger NFL scope, Fries -- a 2021 seventh-rounder out of Penn State -- won the starting right guard job in just his second season," wrote Solak. "He is not the most physically imposing blocker the league has ever seen, but he's quick, technically sound and still has enough power to uproot smaller defensive tackles. From Week 10 in 2022 (when he won the job) to Week 5 in 2024 (when he fractured his fibula), Fries was clearly one of the best young guards in football."

Even though he missed 12 starts last season, Fries finished the year as the 4th-highest ranked guard by Pro Football Focus with an 86.9 overall grade. He allowed two sacks through five games and was responsible for one penalty.

Solak named the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots as possible contenders to sign Fries in the free-agent market.

"Fries probably will shoot to beat the deals that Ben Powers (four years, $51.5 million) and Damien Lewis (four years, $53 million) got when they changed teams last offseason, and could even get into Kevin Dotson range (three years, $48 million) if the market for guards is as strong as it was a year ago. The Chargers are a strong possibility, as are the Patriots, who can move Mike Onwenu along the line. One other team to watch? The Cowboys, who for the first time in a decade, have a hole at right guard..."

Fries could pull up to $15 million a year in any deal. If a team determines right guard as a strong need, he will likely leave the Colts for a top contract.

The NFL free agency market opens on Wednesday, March 12, as the Colts narrow down who to bring back for their 2025 race for the playoffs.

Recommended Articles