NFL Training Camp: 10 most intriguing battles in 2023

#9, Indianapolis Colts – Right guard

Candidates: Danny Pinter, Will Fries & Emil Ekiyor

NFL Training Camp: 10 most intriguing battles in 2023

The Colts O-line went from a major strength to an utter catastrophe this past NFL season. You can blame different factors for this:

First, the lack of stability at left tackle and the ways they tried to compensate for that. Second, not having Jonathan Taylor for half the year to make them look better and third, a quarterback whose arm completely fell off and was a statue back there, having to drop back whilst trailing games more than you’d like.

But really it was the decline in play across the front other than maybe right tackle Braden Smith. All-Pro Quenton Nelson and Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly from previous years performed like average starters at best.

However, I recently outlined Bernhard Raimann as a breakout candidate on the blindside heading into year two and I expect those standout guys to return a lot closer to form this year. Where they still seem unsettled is right guard.

Danny Pinter has been in the league the longest, entering year four as a former fifth-round pick, playing 22 and 25% of offensive snaps respectively the latter two. He jumped in at center in 2021 and then started out at RG before getting benched last season. He actually performed very well in the absence of Ryan Kelly at the pivot, but deservedly got benched this past year, being charged with three sacks and QB hits each across his four starts.

Pinter provides good movement skills to cover ground laterally in the passing game and get to his landmarks outside his area on run plays, but definitely lacks some sand in the pants to deal with powerful interior rushers or create displacement on gap-schemes or inside zone.

Will Fries took over for Pinter three games into the year in his second season as a seventh-rounder and he WAS an upgrade. He brings much more of a burly build, to where you see him be able to anchor against bigger D-tackles in passing situations and can turn bodies in the run game, when he comes in on an angle. Only one sack allowed was on his count, but it still wasn't great necessarily with 17 pressures on about twice as many pass-blocking snaps as Pinter.

Fries isn't the lightest on his feet to mirror quick-twitch movement, be comfortable on longer pulls, or secure bodies on the second level. He got destroyed by the Eagles' front but did his best work at the end of the year.

And then I want to throw out Emil Ekiyor here. I’m still flabbergasted how he went undrafted this year, since I have yet to hear about any medical records that would worry you. Based on the tape, I had him as a third-round pick and my number six interior offensive lineman.

He provides thick lower half, which he can utilize to translate power from the ground up, has experience with a variety of pulling duties and for his build, he’s able to cover bodies in space a lot better than you might think. Thanks to the girth he presents, he’s capable of standing his ground against bull-rush attempts, constantly is looking to re-fit his hands, shows good awareness for games and is looking to dish out significant rib shots when unoccupied.

Generally, he has a bad tendency of dropping his eyes too often, while the initial hand-placement/-timing could use some work, relying heavily on two-handed strikes. Yet, he didn't allow a single sack across more than 1,000 pass-blocking snaps these past two years and just eight total pressures last season.

So I actually believe he has the best chance of being a long-term solution at that right guard spot and I’m still shocked how he got here. Especially considering that he performed well during Senior Bowl week, when he showed that he could also jump in at center and I thought after not testing, his on-field workout at the combine was really good.

It seems unlikely an undrafted free agent will start Week 1. So I’d give Fries the edge here, since Indy will be most comfortable going with what worked best last year. But if he stands out as the weak link along the front and the rookie can quickly acclimate himself (with 2,600 snaps in the SEC these last three years), I believe we might see a switch mid-way through the year. Pinter to me is better suited at center and I believe they’ll prefer the flexibility he does have off the bench in general.

Under Shane Steichen now likely designing an offense similar to what it looked like in Philadelphia last year. With rookie QB Anthony Richardson they’re diverse in the ground game but will simplify his reads as a passer and push the ball down the field. So they need somebody capable of performing well in all those areas and probably having to block on the move quite regularly, Ekiyor to me could be the best fit.