Indianapolis Colts Sign Important Free Agent in 'Team Needs' List

The Indianapolis Colts put another name on the offensive line through free agency in a prediction from Pro Football Focus.

 Protecting the quarterback is paramount for any NFL team to succeed. This rings doubly true with a rookie in the spot. This will be the situation with the Indianapolis Colts and Anthony Richardson should he start in 2023.

After last year's brutal offensive line performance, the Colts decided to pick tackles Blake Freeland from Brigham Young and Jake Witt from Northern Michigan in the NFL Draft. However, Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger has the Colts picking up a guard in his "One Last Offseason Move for All 16 AFC Teams" piece.

With this on tap, let's discuss the pickup in free agency and its significance for the Colts' offensive line.

Spielberger has the Colts signing veteran guard A.J. Cann to the team to shore up the line depth or compete for the right guard starting position.

As mentioned, this was the offensive spot filled with confusion for the Colts in 2022. After starting with Danny Pinter and rotating through a multitude of names, the Colts found consistency with Will Fries.

However, as Spielberger brings up, bringing in a vet like Cann might still be a great idea. He says: "Over 2020 and 2022, Cann earned a 70.1 pass-blocking grade. And while he may be better suited as a depth option than a starter at this phase in his career, Indianapolis started Will Fries down the stretch, and he earned a 44.4 pass-blocking grade with 15 quarterback hurries allowed. It can never be a bad idea to add some offensive line depth for new franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson."

Bringing in Cann would be a great move on the part of Colts general manager Chris Ballard. With a total of 110 starts at right guard since 2015, Cann fits the profile of both a depth piece and a potential starter. Also, he's played his entire career in the AFC South (Jacksonville Jaguars 2015-2021; Houston Texans 2022), which makes him familiar with the most important competition the Colts will face up against.

Put all these factors together, and Cann could be an impact signing. Undrafted free agent Emil Ekiyor from Alabama might indeed be a diamond in the rough. But that simply isn't guaranteed, and a veteran presence at such a volatile position just one year ago could be a vital decision that might pay dividends.

Outlook

With the Colts not selecting a true offensive guard in the NFL draft, the signing of someone like Cann fits in all phases. Bring in the fact that a rookie quarterback like Richardson will benefit from better blocking from the inside right portion of the line, and this is a move that might even make too much sense for the Colts. We'll have to see if this is the path they will take in the upcoming months.

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