Colts' Swing Tackle Should be 'Good Competition' in Training Camp

Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard identified the swing tackle job as one position battle to watch in training camp this offseason

Tennessee Titans cornerback Elijah Molden (24) tries to navigate around Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Blake Freeland (73) but is unable to get the first down Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. / Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY

Indianapolis Colts' General Manager Chris Ballard spoke with local media on Wednesday as veterans reported to Training Camp for the 2024 offseason.

Ballard highlighted several camp battles to keep an eye on in his opening comments, including fights for starting spots at both cornerback and at free safety. In his final remarks regarding camp battles, he discussed the importance of the swing tackle position and the two players in the running for that job:

"Who’s the swing tackle? There’ll be good competition there between our young rookie Matt (Goncalves) and (Blake) Freeland coming back. We thought Freeland had a really good offseason. We think he’ll take another step."

Freeland was the 106th overall selection by the Colts back in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was thrust into action quite a bit as a rookie, starting in two games at left tackle and eight games at right tackle (10 total starts as a rookie). He appeared in 701 total snaps, which came in just behind Bernhard Raimann for the most snaps at offensive tackle on the season.

Freeland had his fair share of struggles in year one with the Colts. He allowed four sacks, four quarterback hits, and 37 pressures in 426 pass blocking snaps in his debut season. His Pro Football Focus pass block grade of 42.6 was the 79th best mark at the tackle position last season (out of 86 qualifying offensive tackles). Ballard did mention that he expects Freeland to take a step this year, and it would have to be a pretty massive one for him to be playable in year two.

NFL life comes at ya fast, Blake Freeland.

cc: Aaron Donald lining up at wide 9 lol pic.twitter.com/vOmnE8fQ1u

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) October 2, 2023

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The other major contender on the roster is rookie Matt Goncalves. Goncalves was the Colts' 79th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he offers some versatility at both the tackle position and the guard position. The Colts intend to start him off at tackle this Training Camp with the potential to move him back inside at a later date if need be.

Goncalves is coming off a collegiate season where he only appeared in 165 total snaps for the Pittsburgh Panthers before suffereing a season-ending injury in week four. Rookie offensive tackles notoriously struggle in their first season, and Goncalves coming off of a major injury in college last season could further add to what he needs to overcome in year one.

The Colts are sky high on Goncalves and his future outlook, though, so he shouldn't be discounted in the race for swing offensive tackle.

Matt Goncalves vs top 40 pick Braden Fiske in 2022 pic.twitter.com/tQBLhqYbqR

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) April 27, 2024

The other darkhorse candidate to mention in this race is athletic phenom Jake Witt. Witt was the Colts' 236th selection in the 2023 NFL Draft that missed all of last season with a hip injury suffered in Training Camp. He is fully back and on the field for year two, so he could be a player that surprises in camp and makes some waves in this intense battle.

As of right now, the early edge in this race appears to belong to Freeland. With Braden Smith out of practice due to offseason surgery, Freeland took reps with the first team at right tackle. Goncalves filled in as the second team right tackle while Witt was the left tackle with the reserve unit.

We will see if anything changes in the coming weeks, though, as Ballard specifically mentioned that this is an open battle for any of these young players to grab in camp.

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