Who's In
- Eric Fisher (signed as free agent)
- Julie'n Davenport (signed as free agent)
- Chris Reed (signed as free agent)
- Sam Tevi (signed as free agent)
- Will Fries (drafted in seventh round)
- Jake Benzinger (signed to reserve/future contract)
Pro Football Focus rated 2020 as the best season of the 30-year-old Fisher's career, which began in 2013 as that year's No. 1 overall draft pick. He tore his Achilles' in the AFC Championship in January and was released by the Kansas City Chiefs in March, then signed with the Colts after the NFL Draft.
In addition to Fisher, the Colts also bolstered their offensive line depth with Davenport, Reed and Tevi, who've combined to make 95 starts in their careers. Fries, too has flexibility to play both guard and tackle -- he started at both positions during his college career at Penn State.
Who's Out
- Anthony Castonzo (retired)
- Le'Raven Clark (signed with Eagles as free agent)
- Chaz Green (free agent)
Castonzo started 144 games over 10 seasons with the Colts and announced his retirement in January.
"When you have a special player like Anthony Castonzo retire ... I don't think he's ever gotten enough credit for how really special he was as a player," general manager Chris Ballard said. "He stood for everything we wanted to stand for, Anthony did, and he was good. I mean, I always thought he was a top-five left tackle in the league."
Who's Back
- Ryan Kelly (sixth season)
- Mark Glowinski (fourth season)
- Quenton Nelson (fourth season)
- Braden Smith (fourth season)
- Jake Eldrenkamp (third year)
- Joey Hunt (second year)
- Carter O'Donnell (second year)
- Danny Pinter (second year)
The Nelson-Kelly-Glowinski-Smith quartet has been together since 2018 and, collectively, has only missed three games in the last two seasons. Kelly earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019 and 2020 while Nelson has been a first-team All Pro every year since debuting with the Colts (more on that shortly). Eldrenkamp, Hunt, O'Donnell and Pinter will compete with some of the Colts' offseason additions to lock down important depth spots on the roster.
What To Watch For
We'll see when Fisher is able to get out on the practice field and work his way back to game action, but when he makes his 2021 debut, he's the kind of tackle who can make gameplanning less stressful for the Colts' coaching staff.
"You're getting a veteran that has done it and has done it well," offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said. "So we are going to be able to trust him where we can just line up and no matter who is lined up over there – our philosophy always is to try and give them some help with a chip every now and again just to give them a breather, but at the same time we are going to be able to trust both sides with Braden on the other side, which is going to be huge to open up our offense."
In the meantime, there should be strong competition between the veterans signed in free agency and some of the Colts' returning young players that'll be interesting to follow during training camp.
Training Camp Information
The Colts will return to Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield for training camp in 2021. Click here for a full schedule of practices open to fans. Free tickets will be required to attend, which can be obtained here. For more information on Colts 2021 Training Camp Powered By Kerauno, click here.
Statistically Speaking
Nelson is just the fifth player in the last 50 years to be named a first-team All-Pro in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, joining Earl Campbell, Keith Jackson, Barry Sanders and Lawrence Taylor.
Links To The Past
Catch up on stories from earlier this year about the OLs on Colts.com:
- Why Eric Fisher Signed With Colts
- Colts Sign Eric Fisher, No Position Switch For Quenton Nelson
- Quenton Nelson Ranked No. 4 on PFF's Best 50 Players List
- Colts Exercise Quenton Nelson's Fifth-Year Option
- Through the Scouts' Eye: Will Fries
- Will Fries Gives Colts O-Line Flexibility
- How Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae Landed on Colts' Coaching Staff
They Said It
"Quenton, he is a generational player that – I'm sorry, I see (John) Hannah and I see him of the last hundred years. I mean that's how good Quenton is. As far as leadership and the type of team guy he is, it's off the charts. He is why the Colts are a physical team. When you're coming to play us, you are coming to play the Big-Q and he is the guy that represents us out there and everyone on this roster knows. He is the alpha male holding it down now. That is a tough guy. His talents are just remarkable. If he stays healthy, he may be 14 All-Pro years in a row." - Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay
