Over the last two seasons, Bernhard Raimann has proven himself as a high-quality, dependable NFL left tackle. But his career wasn't an instant success.
In 2022, Raimann – a third-round pick that year – made his first NFL start in the Colts' Thursday Night Football win over the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. It was an ugly game – zero touchdowns were scored – and Raimann allowed five pressures against an attacking Broncos front. His 48.0 Pro Football Focus grade in that game still ranks as the lowest of his now three-year tenure with the Colts.
Raimann, though, has carried the lessons he learned that night in Denver into how he's played ever since, now heading into a massive Week 15 game against the Broncos in Colorado this weekend.
"Obviously my first game ever, you get excited, you get nervous," Raimann said. "I think that the biggest lesson was, it's still just football. It's still the same game. You can't let the situation get too big for you. Just go trust yourself and trust your fundamentals and play the sport you love for the reason you love it."
Raimann steadily improved as a rookie – he earned a solid 78.6 PFF pass block grade, despite battling injuries, over the final nine games of 2022 – and he ranks favorably among his peers (tackles with at least 750 snaps) since the start of the 2023 season:
| Stat | # | NFL rank |
|---|---|---|
| PFF overall grade | 88.3 | 8th |
| PFF pass block grade | 85.6 | 8th |
| PFF run block grade | 78.7 | 11th |
Raimann in 2024 is allowing a pressure on just 3.9 percent of his pass blocking snaps, per PFF, good for the lowest rate on the Colts. His success locking things down at left tackle has been key for a line collectively has the fifth-highest PFF overall grade (82.1) in the NFL this season.
And what Raimann did as a rookie – including in how he digested his NFL debut in Denver – set him on the path he's following today.
"Every year, Bernie has been getting better – just learning from his playing experience," left guard Quenton Nelson said in training camp. "Then also one thing I really admire about Bernie is his rookie year, going through rookie struggles, dealing with injuries too – he never once even thought about taking himself out of a game. He's got asked and he's like, 'No I'm staying in there. Screw that.'
"Once I heard him say that when he was a rookie, I was just like, 'This is my left tackle.' He's just grown year after year after year. It's an honor, pleasure playing next to him. I really enjoy it."
Thursday's practice report
