Matt Pryor has one goal in mind: to solve the Colts' left tackle dilemma

[JAFF]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...le/9696819002/

INDIANAPOLIS - One year ago, Matt Pryor was in a dark place.

He was an offensive lineman with the Eagles back then, fresh off a pandemic season with 10 starts but feeling nowhere close to home. Everything fell apart in Philadelphia the year before, leading to a new coach and a new quarterback, and Pryor was on the roster bubble.

He didn't know quite what he was in this league, and neither did they.

It didn't help that he was fresh off surgery for a herniated disc and fighting to get his lower-body strength back. That injury weakened his tape the previous season and left the Eagles, and other teams, questioning what this 2018 sixth-round pick had to offer.

But the Colts weren't questioning, because two of their offensive assistants knew him from before the dark times in Philadelphia. They liked his potential at 6-foot-7 and 332 pounds. They traded for him, agreeing to a simple swap of sixth- and seventh-round picks.


"They took me out of a bad situation with where I was at and took a shot on me," Pryor said.

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Last season won't be remembered as a special one by Colts fans after it ended with a collapse in Jacksonville, no playoff berth and yet another spin of the quarterback carousel. But it mattered to Pryor. In a new situation, with a team that wanted him and with the feeling back in his legs, he got back to a versatile role and this time with confidence.

Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Matt Pryor (69) talks with teammate Ryan Kelly (78) who is slow to get up after a play Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, during the first half of Colts against Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium for Monday Night Football.

He saw action in all 17 games, with five starts across three positions, including one at left tackle. His spirit built by the game to the point where mixing and matching positions on Christmas night in Arizona was no problem.

A rebound season led to a new contract from the Colts, for one year and $5.5 million.

"I'm coming back in here and honing down on the key components of the offense and not having to go somewhere else and learn something new," Pryor said. "As of now, I'm doing just left tackle. That's the position I'm really keying in on."


Pryor had only played one game at left tackle before in his career at either the pro or college level. In the final two weeks last season, he started in place of Eric Fisher against the Raiders and then saw action against the Jaguars.

The underlying numbers on the season were promising. Pryor played 406 total snaps and blew blocks on 2.5% of them, according to Sports Info

The sample size is tiny as a left tackle, but that was the opening the Colts had after they decided not to retain Fisher. Indianapolis drafted Central Michigan's Bernhard Raimann in the third round, but he's played offensive line for only two seasons.


Pryor has a leg up, having played with the group last year and having attended the past three weeks of the offseason program. He took up boxing this offseason to work on his hips and hands in order to operate more on an island as a tackle.

He knows the potential rewards are plentiful. Last year, Charles Leno signed a one-year deal for $4 million to play left tackle for the Commanders and impressed enough across 17 starts to cash in on a three-year, $37- million contract with $18 million guaranteed this spring.

Winning the job in Indianapolis would mean protecting the blindside for Matt Ryan and paving run lanes for Jonathan Taylor.

Pryor knows he has to hold off Raimann first.

If he doesn't, he could get in the mix at right guard, where Danny Pinter is expected to step in. Pryor could also continue backing up at every position except center, though the Colts now also have a swing tackle in Dennis Kelly.