One of the biggest storylines of the offseason has already been answered for the Indianapolis Colts. That would be the decision of left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who will be returning to the team for at least one more season.
Though it isn’t clear what type of deal general manager Chris Ballard is working on for Castonzo, one thing is clear. Having the 31-year-old back in the mix makes life much easier for head coach Frank Reich.
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“Yeah, that was such good news for us. I mean at that position, I don’t take it for granted,” said Reich at the NFL combine last week. “As an offensive play caller and game planner you have to think – I don’t have to worry about chip helping Anthony Castonzo. He can handle whoever it is over there one-on-one. I can’t even begin to explain what a huge advantage that is schematically in the pass game not to have to protect him all the time. Good we have him back.”
Even with Castonzo returning, the Colts have to begin looking at his eventual successor. Depending on how long his new contract will be, the Colts are likely going to start looking in the 2020 NFL draft for Castonzo’s replacement.
Castonzo has been consistent throughout his career, but he’s really taken a jump since Reich took over as the head coach. Having that type of advantage on the left side of the line will help Castonzo get one final large payday, especially given how little the Colts have to send help to his side.
“It’s a low percentage of the time as we know. What you’re afforded is, boom, now you’ve got that back out – puts more pressure on the defense,” Reich said. “So, he gets very little help, he tells me that all the time. He lets me know, but he’ll be compensated accordingly.”
There are some interesting names the Colts will have to consider during the 2020 NFL draft. If they pass on it, the position becomes even more of a need in 2021.
Regardless, the Colts will have their veteran leader on the offensive line returning for at least another season. Reich couldn’t be happier about it.
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