Indianapolis Colts’ right tackle Braden Smith spoke with the media on Tuesday as part of the offseason program availability.
Here are the highlights from Smith’s availability. To watch the full video, click here.
– Smith says he had successful surgery this offseason on his left knee. He’s in a “pretty good spot,” and his strength is coming back. Smith adds that he’s making sure he can get through the season healthy and being smart with things.
– “I feel like I’m making leaps every week,” said Smith about his recovery. The focus right now is on continuing to build his strength.
– Smith on playing through the injury: “You need to get something so you go out there and do what you can for your team. You just build that mental fortitude over time.”
– The knee injury was a lingering issue all the way into the Spring. Smith says he tried to get back too fast and wasn’t taking care of himself as well as he should have. “I’m already in a better spot than I was last year.”
– Smith is taking it week-to-week right now. He wouldn’t commit to when he would return to the practice field.
– Last season was one of the “more frustrating years” for Smith because he wanted to be out there helping his team.
– “Continuity is important,” said Smith and speaks to the faith the organization has in the players. The Colts will be returning all five starting offensive linemen from the 2023 season.
– Knowing the “details” and “tendencies” of the offensive linemen around you is something that can be overlooked on the outside but is an important element of cohesive offensive line play.
– “It’s crazy how fast it’s really gone,” said Smith about entering his eighth year in the NFL. Smith said that as a rookie, he didn’t know how long he was going to last. He thanked his coaches, teammates, and the people around him for getting to this point.
– Smith said that when he was drafted, he thought he would be a guard in the NFL, but “when you get an opportunity, you’ve just got to make the most of it.”