Expectations for Right Guard Will Fries in 2023

What should we expect from right guard Will Fries as the full time starter in 2023?

The Indianapolis Colts have made quite a few drastic changes to a team that won just four games a season ago. The team plans to roll out brand new starters at quarterback, at cornerback, and at edge rusher, while several other starting positions are seemingly up for grabs in camp.

One position group that the Colts appear ready to run back in 2023, however, is the offensive line. Highly paid starters Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, and Ryan Kelly were somewhat expected to return, while young left tackle Bernhard Raimann was bound to get another shot in his sophomore season. The biggest question mark in this group is third year right guard Will Fries.

Fries appears to have an easy path to securing the starting right guard spot in camp, as his only competition (at the moment) is UDFA Emil Ekiyor Jr on the depth chart. This lack of true competition at the position is eerily similar to last offseason, when Danny Pinter was all but handed the right guard position in camp. We all know how that experiment ended up, but hey, maybe the second time is the charm..

At least with Will Fries, the Colts have a player that spent a good amount of time at the guard position the year prior. Fries started 10 games for the team a season ago, allowing one sack and 19 pressures in 381 pass blocking snaps. It was a far from perfect year for the young offensive lineman, but there is at least a little optimism with his play heading into a full offseason of work.

In today's article, let's dive into some of the struggles Fries had a year ago, how he was able to turn it around late, and what we should come to expect from him as the Colts' starter.

Early Struggles

Will Fries had his fair share of struggles last season, which was to be expected by a former seventh round pick in his second year of action. He was mostly able to hold his own in the run game in his starts, but the struggles really showed in pass protection.

Fries allowed just one sack on the year but he was constantly being beat by quicker defenders in the passing game. He particularly struggled in games that featured a top pass rusher, as he had his worst performances in match-ups against Demarcus Lawrence, Fletcher Cox, Jeffrey Simmons, and Dexter Lawrence.

In a way, this isn't a bad thing. A young, former late round pick is bound to struggle against the best players in the league. The problem is when these struggles paint a target on a player's back. Teams were constantly able to shift their best interior pass rusher over Fries last season in order to generate a more destructive rush against the Colts' offense.

Among the 85 guards in the NFL that appeared in over 270 snaps last season, Fries ranked 75th in pass block grade (according to Pro Football Focus). He did barely beat out teammate Danny Pinter in this department (who ranked 80th in pass block grade), but this is still far from optimal in a young player.

As far as why he struggled, a lot of it comes from Fries' inexperience in the offense. His timing off the snap was extremely inconsistent (multiple false start penalties on the year) and he struggled to maintain blocks after he engaged them. His technique and his footwork suffered once his defender broke the initial point of contact.

While Fries did start to adjust later in the season, the overall body of work that he just put on tape in his first year as a starter was far from where it needs to be long term.

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) July 2, 2023

Late Season Surge

For all the negatives I just listed above about Will Fries, he did start to turn it around late last season. Over the course of the final three weeks of the year, Fries graded out as the 6th best offensive guard in the NFL (according to Pro Football Focus). His 76.4 run block grade was the 5th highest among all guards over that span as well. His pass block grade, albeit still concerning, also climbed up to a 58.8 grade in those weeks.

The Colts did face the Los Angeles Chargers, the New York Giants, and the Houston Texans in those final three weeks, but this development was a great thing to see in Fries' game. He looked much more sturdy at the point of attack and he even made his presence felt on the field with a few pancake blocks on unsuspecting defenders.

In the pass game, he did still struggle with the likes of Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, but he was much more competitive in this game than in similar match-ups earlier in the season. His initial punch was a bit more destructive and he finally began to look explosive off of the ball as his comfort level increased. There were still some concerns overall, but he looked like a league-average guard (at worst) over the final three weeks of the year.

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) July 2, 2023

Expectations for 2023

Will Fries is an intriguing young player that finally started to put it together late last season as he became more comfortable in the Colts' offensive system. While his physical limitations may limit his overall ceiling in the NFL, he has the functional strength and the explosiveness to be a player fully capable of starting in the NFL.

With Fries expected to start in the 2023 season for the Colts, the hope is that he can continue to grow in the pass game. His ability as a run blocker is more than capable at the moment, but his development as a pass blocker will truly be the make-or-break factor going into the year.

His anchor and his play strength project well in this area, but he has to be more nimble on his feet and more diverse with his hands in order to keep the job in 2023 (and going forward). Hopefully this young player can rise to the occasion and secure this position in flux for the foreseeable future.

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