Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
A trio of former Colts are in Super Bowl LVIII.
The 2023 season is officially set to come to an end Sunday as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium.
Only three former Indianapolis Colts players will be playing in the biggest game of the season, all of which are on the 49ers sideline.
Here’s a look at the three former Colts players participating in Super Bowl LVIII:
The Philadelphia Eagles have 8 former players playing on AFC and NFC Championship rosters ahead of Sunday’s matchups.
The Eagles are home after a disappointing finish to their season that saw the team lose 6 of their final seven games, including a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card game.
One big reason for the downward spiral on both sides of the football can be found in free-agent losses that have thrived with other clubs.
As Philadelphia works to hire two new coordinators, eight former Eagles are set to play in the AFC and NFC title games, including two All-Pro caliber talents and one safety who should still be on the roster.
10 former Colts are on the AFC, NFC Championship rosters.
As the playoffs heat up with the conference championship gets set for this weekend, the Indianapolis Colts will see a handful of former players taking part in the big games.
By our count, 10 former players across three of the teams donned the horseshoe at one point regardless of whether they were an early draft pick or a player on the practice squad.
Here’s a look at 10 former Colts players who are on the AFC and NFC Championship rosters:
Pro Football Focus sees a breakout campaign in the cards for Bernhard Raimann.
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The offseason is in full swing, which means that the 2023 season will be here in a matter of time, prompting many outlets to give their predictions about what will happen during the upcoming campaign.
Pro Football Focus has taken the liberty of compiling breakout candidates for AFC teams. These players showed potential last season and could have more prominent roles or should be on the radar of fans and the media.
For the Indianapolis Colts, offensive tackle Bernhard Rainmann was PFF’s selection because of his solid play as the season progressed.
Per PFF, Raimann earned a 77.1 overall grade in the second half of the season, 17th among eligible offensive tackles. Additionally, Raimann was the only player out of ten offensive tackles to grade 74.0 or better in both run and pass blocking.
Here’s what they said about the second-year tackle being a breakout candidate:
Raimann experienced some growing pains in the first weeks of his NFL career, but as the season progressed, and the Colts started to fall apart, he played better and better. In the second half of the season, he earned a 77.1 overall grade that ranked 17th among offensive tackles. He was also one of only 10 offensive tackles to earn 74.0-plus grades in both run blocking and pass protection.
Raimann showed flashes in training camp that he had potential as a starter but didn’t see the field until Week 5 when the team was forced to put him in the lineup because of poor play by Matt Pryor along with various injuries. Raimann struggled early in that game but showed some poise against a vaunted Broncos pass rush.
His poise earned him additional playing time as the season went on and eventually, Raimann was the permanent starter at left tackle, where he amassed 11 starts.
During his rookie season, he played against Matt Judon, Chandler Jones, Micah Parsons, and more top talent. As mentioned, Raimann held his own, but as he heads into his sophomore season, any advantage helps.
Raimann has recently added 15 pounds to his physique, believing that will only enhance his offseason work and preparation. There is always a chance the team could add additional veteran presence, but Raimann is sitting comfortably in the driver’s seat for now as the team’s left tackle.
Matt Pryor is heading to San Francisco.
Indianapolis Colts free-agent offensive tackle Matt Pryor signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
After spending two seasons with the Colts, Pryor now finds a home on the west coast as a depth option in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
The Colts initially traded for Pryor just before the 2021 season, swapping late-round picks with the Philadelphia Eagles. Pryor spent the majority of that season as a depth piece working along the offensive line.
However, the Colts gave him the chance to win the starting left tackle job in 2022, an endeavor that failed significantly.
In nine starts, Pryor allowed 31 total pressures and six sacks, according to Pro Football Focus, before he was benched for rookie left tackle Bernhard Raimann. The Colts even tried Pryor out at right tackle and right guard before permanently taking him out of the rotation.
Offensive line depth is a big area of need for the Colts this offseason, but it was never likely that Pryor would find his way back to the Circle City.
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The #49ers added some much-needed OT depth.
The 49ers on Monday added some competition at right tackle. They announced veteran offensive tackle Matt Pryor signed a one-year deal to join San Francisco.
Pryor was a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in 2018 and spent his first three NFL seasons there before signing with the Colts in 2020.
Last season he was the Colts’ starting left tackle to begin the year before flipping over to the right side in Week 5. His stint at right tackle lasted only one week before he moved to the starting right guard spot for four weeks. He finished the year as a reserve.
Pryor didn’t debut for the Eagles until 2019, and since then he’s played in 60 games with 24 starts. He has experience at both tackle and guard spots which will help his case to make the 49ers’ roster.
However, the club is likely hoping he’ll give them some much-needed tackle depth. Colton McKivitz is the frontrunner to start at right tackle, but there’s not much competition for that job. Pryor will compete there, and can be a valuable reserve if he doesn’t win a starting spot.
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We’re looking at 27 former Philadelphia Eagles players who are still currently unsigned 2023 NFL free agents
The Philadelphia Eagles have lost 10+ players to free agency.
Two starters in the secondary (C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps), both starting linebackers (T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White) and one all-world defensive tackle (Javon Hargrave) are exiting for greener pastures on the open market.
With ten players signing with other teams, here’s an updated look at 27 former Eagles who are currently free agents on the open market via Over The Cap.
The Colts left their tackles on an island at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, according to PFF.
The Indianapolis Colts offensive line struggled mightily with finding consistency and production throughout the 2022 season, and the tackle positions were ones that came under fire early.
The disastrous play of Matt Pryor at left tackle and the slow start for Braden Smith at right tackle made life tough for the entire offense. Though Smith eventually found his groove, Pryor continued to be a turnstile at the blindside position.
Now, looking back at the regular season, we’ve learned that the Colts deployed their offensive tackles on an island at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, according to Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus.
The Eagles have left their offensive tackles on islands (no double team or help from guards or tight ends) at the highest rate of any offense in the NFL this year. Curious to see if they continue to do so at this rate against the fearsome 49ers defensive line pic.twitter.com/AnpG4wN74r
— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) January 27, 2023
Menon tracked data for all 32 teams to see which teams gave help to their tackles by deploying double teams with guards or tight ends. It isn’t clear if running back chips are included in the data.
The Colts came in at around 65%, meaning they left their tackles isolated to block on an island for almost two-thirds of the offensive plays. Only the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks had higher “island” rates.
Throughout Frank Reich’s tenure, we knew he preferred to leave his tackles on an island. When an offensive line is led by Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith, it’s easy to do that. However, the Colts haven’t yet found Castonzo’s replacement. They hope that can be Bernhard Raimann.
That rate didn’t seem to change with Jeff Saturday’s arrival, and the results remained the same. The Colts allowed 60 sacks, which were the second-most in the NFL behind only the Denver Broncos (63).
And according to Pro Football Focus, the top-three leaders in sacks allowed for the Colts all came from the tackle position. Both Smith and Raimann allowed seven sacks while Pryor allowed six sacks.
A third of the Colts’ team sacks came from the offensive tackle position.
The offensive tackle position for the Colts may already be set. We should expect Smith to return as the right tackle while Raimann will be entering his second season. The Colts need to add competition for him, but there’s potential with that duo if they can clean up some of the areas they struggled with in 2022.
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Taking a look at what went right and what went wrong for the 2022 Colts.
As the offseason continues to unfold, more reflection about the Indianapolis Colts’ previous season naturally rises to the surface before we begin to look ahead into 2023.
Here’s what went right and what went wrong for the Colts in 2022:
Here are four pending free agents the Colts should not re-sign this offseason.
With so many critical choices for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason, the team needs to improve in all phases. The team has a prime opportunity to elevate the roster, starting with free agency in March.
Here are four pending free agents the Colts should not re-sign:
