Colts’ rookie offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini will miss “some time” with a toe injury, according to head coach Shane Steichen.
The good news is that Bortolini’s toe injury isn’t to the same extent of Jelani Woods, who will reportedly undergo surgery. However, some time will be missed–although no specific timeline has been reported.
“I think he’ll be alright too,” said Steichen after Tuesday’s practice. “I don’t see him missing an extended amount of time but he’s going to miss some time.”
Bortolini exited the Colts’ preseason matchup with the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game and did not return.
After Danny Pinter worked at center with the second team offense against Denver, Bortolini got the “start” at center in Week 2 of the preseason with Ryan Kelly not playing.
In two preseason games, which have included 33 pass-blocking reps, Bortolini has surrendered only one pressure, per PFF.
As offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter highlighted recently, the jump from college to the NFL at the center position in particular can be a difficult transition to make, in large part because of all the responsibilities that come with this role.
Throughout training camp, Bortolini has made steady improvement, which we saw in the second preseason contest with him starting over Pinter.
“We ask a lot of those guys communication-wise,” Cooter said, “with our guys up front, with the quarterbacks, with everybody, making decisions about maybe how we’re going to block a certain scheme, how we’re going to pick up a certain blitz.
“We ask a ton of those guys and all we see out of Bort is him getting better and better and better every week, every day, every walkthrough. Cleaning up maybe something that wasn’t perfect the day before and getting that thing fixed for the next day.”
The general consensus seems to be that Bortolini will be Kelly’s backup, but the Colts could choose to roster Pinter as a backup option if they don’t feel Bortolini is ready. For what it’s worth, on the unofficial depth chart, the back center is listed as Bortolini OR Pinter.
Without a timeline it is unknown if Bortolini will be ready for Week 1, which will be 17 days away following the team’s preseason final against the Bengals.