Most essential Colts No. 5: Braden Smith

[JAFF]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...s/70348795007/

5. Braden Smith, right tackle

Position: Right tackle

Age: 27

Experience: 6th NFL season, 6th with Colts


Accolades: Started 70 of 72 games. Blocked for the 2021 NFL rushing champion, Jonathan Taylor

2022 stats: Started 16 of 16 games.

Last year's rank: No. 10

Why he's here: The run on offensive linemen here showcases just how much this team has invested in them -- and how a season like last year's can go so off-kilter when they don't live up to their own standards.


The disappointment fell less on Braden Smith than on some others. He played all but one game, including a spot start at right guard during a short week in Denver. He struggled with some speed rushes early in the season, but he rounded into form before the rest of the group and finished tied for eighth among all offensive linemen with 40 blocking points earned, according to Sports Info Solutions. From midseason on, Smith was a functional pass protector and plus-level run blocker that the Colts extended for four years and $70 million through 2025.

But that doesn't mean Smith is off the hook for last season's disastrous line performance either. The Colts might have overrated his abilities when moving a center to right guard in Danny Pinter, as Smith was not able to help out that position and seal the right side of the line in pass protection. His 21 blown blocks and eight penalties showcase those struggles. He returned to form with a more capable pass protector in Will Fries, but it was an illustration of how he needs a system to thrive in, too. When those systems were broken early last season, Smith was vulnerable to a big sack like the rest of the line.



But there's no ignoring what a plus-level right tackle can do for a team when he is in a position to perform. Smith has shown that in the five years since the Colts made him a second-round pick out of Auburn. Despite less-than-ideal arm length, he's molded into one of the more sturdy right tackles in the game, which can be an asset in a league where teams move their top pass rushers over the most vulnerable tackle. Indianapolis hasn't seen this pay-off with Smith because of how lacking it has been in pass protection from the left side.

Smith doesn't have the Pro Bowl accolades or All-Pro upside of players higher on this list, but he's one of the hardest to replace. The Colts tried for six games in 2021 with disastrous results. If he were to get hurt this year, it's hard to envision Indianapolis holding up well when its backup is fourth-round BYU rookie Blake Freeland, who is more natural on the left side.

That makes Smith a crucial piece for Richardson, who is mobile enough to avoid sacks but who will need as little to overcome as possible in order to make strides as a passer. Smith's ceiling comes in the run game, and if the Colts can get the Richardson-Jonathan Taylor dual-threat action moving with more capable right guard play, he could be one of the key reasons they return to being one of the league's more dominant rushing teams.