With Braden Smith Out, Who Will Fill Void at Right Tackle?

Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith is out on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys due to an illness. Who will step into his critical role?

Sealing the edges for an offensive line is one of the most crucial aspects of protection or progressing down the field. It impacts both the run and the pass and could make or break any offense’s chances of a win.

This Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts (4-7-1) must figure out how to traverse the red-hot Dallas Cowboys (8-3) without the right-side tackle, Braden Smith, who is out this week with an illness. He by no coincidence is the Colts' best-graded offensive lineman this season with a 72.1, per Pro Football Focus.

Dallas boasts a ferocious overall pass-rushing attack led by the combo of Micah Parsons (second in the NFL with 12.0 sacks) and DeMarcus Lawrence (6.0 sacks on the year).

With that in mind, let us look at the two most likely players who the Colts will be looking over to fill in and how each might impact the game, starting with the veteran tackle, Dennis Kelly.

Dennis Kelly

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Kelly was taken in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, he’s started off-and-on for the Eagles (2012-15), Tennessee Titans (2016-20), Green Bay Packers (2021), and now, the Colts.

In each season, he has started at least one game and, in many cases, was full-on taking the lead at the position. This year, he’s been in three games and holds the fifth-best spot (out of eight) on the team for an overall blocking grade (59.1). One of the most notable statistics for Kelly is he is the only offensive lineman on the Colts who is yet to allow a sack, albeit with the lowest snap count at 192.

It is tough to give an entire synopsis of the performance of Kelly with his low snap count, but the veteran presence is comforting if you’re a Colts fan or quarterback Matt Ryan.

Matt Pryor

Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

On the other hand, there is Matt Pryor, who started the season at left tackle for the Colts and has had an inconsistent and forgettable season heading into Week 13.

Drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, Pryor was a tackle that was transitioned to left guard in 2020, per Pro Football Reference. That season, he started 10-of-15 games. Fast-track to 2022 and Pryor is now with the Colts and has played multiple positions on the line, including left tackle, right tackle, and right guard.

Having the fourth-highest snap count on the team with 543 through 10 games, Pryor has struggled on a scale of epic proportions, forcing many to question why he was trusted to start in the first place. Currently, he is last among Colts linemen in overall blocking efficiency (42.4) and has allowed the most sacks (6), quarterback hurries (19), and quarterback pressures (30).

The numbers don’t lie, and they are reflective of Pryor’s short tenure with the Colts.

Bottom Line

Matt Pryor via IMAGN

At the end of the day, it is a matter of how the Colts want to play this game against the Cowboys, but to my tiny football mind, it's common sense to start Kelly.

With how badly Pryor has struggled to stop any rusher from crushing Ryan or short-lived starter Sam Ehlinger, this should be a no-brainer for interim head coach Jeff Saturday, especially if the Colts plan to fight the remaining five games to have a slim chance at playoff positioning.

Sunday Night Football approaches, friends. Let’s tune in and enjoy the show

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