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The Indianapolis Colts are expected to roll out an offensive tackle duo that includes left tackle Bernhard Raimann and right tackle Braden Smith in 2023.
As Pro Football Focus went through their positional rankings entering the 2023 season, both players representing the Colts made it into the top-32 players among all offensive tackles.
First up was Smith, who came in at No. 15 among all tackles as he enters his sixth season.
In five seasons with the Colts, Smith has produced PFF pass-blocking grades of 68.0 or better every season, while his PFF run-blocking grade hasn’t dipped below 75.0 in each of the past four seasons. With the development of Bernhard Raimann on the left side, the Colts quietly have one of the best tackle duos in the NFL.
As was the case with the entire offensive line, Smith had somewhat of a down year in 2022 compared to expectation. However, he found his groove over the second half of the campaign and look much more like himself.
Smith is a vital piece to the offensive line and with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson taking over eventually, his role will become even more important.
Coming in at No. 29 among all tackles was Raimann, who enters his second season after adding 15 pounds to his frame.
After a rough first start in Week 5, Raimann came on strong in the second half of the 2022 season. From Week 10 onward, he had just one game with a PFF pass-blocking grade below 70.0.
Raimann was thrown into the fire early on during his rookie season, but he appeared much more comfortable as the campaign went on. His improvement would mean a great deal for a Colts offensive line that is looking to get back into shape as a dominant unit.
Smith and Raimann were one of just eight duos to make the list for Pro Football Focus.
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