The Colts brought in a familiar veteran face for a workout on Friday with their now depleted offensive tackle depth.
by Luke Schultheis
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Indianapolis Colts brought in veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer and offensive lineman Isaac Alarcon for workouts on Friday:
Of course, this may not bode well for starting right tackle Braden Smith’s potential availability going forward, who has already been ruled out for Sunday with a knee injury.
Colts fans are already somewhat familiar with the now 36-year-old Veldheer, who made an emergency spot-start for veteran blindside bookend Anthony Castonzo in the season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars (*as well as the playoff wild card loss to the Buffalo Bills) for Indianapolis back in 2020.
Veldheer has made 114 career starts, so he is no doubt highly experienced. However, he also hasn’t played professionally since 2020, so expectations would have to be pretty tempered if he surprisingly re-signs with Indianapolis a few years later even as veteran depth.
Meanwhile, Alarcon was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent back in 2020. He’s also a former 2021 3rd round draft pick of the CFL Draft. The 6’6,” 315 pound offensive lineman was waived as part of the Cowboys final 53-man roster cuts this year.
Rookie Blake Freeland will presumably start in Smith’s absence again—as he has six starts already this season, combined at both offensive tackle spots. Freeland hasn’t been a rookie standout, but he’s hung in there, battled, and gained meaningful playing experience.
The problem is, the Colts have next to no offensive tackle behind him. There are no other offensive tackles listed on the Colts roster beyond Bernhard Raimann, Smith, and Freeland, or even the practice squad for that matter.
Originally posted on stampedeblue.com