Colts Place Gosder Cherilus on Injured Reserve

The Colts made a roster move tonight on New Year's Eve night, and it's a pretty significant one: they placed starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus on injured reserve.  In his place, the Colts have signed guard David Arkin to the active roster.

Cherilus missed the last two games with a groin injury after dealing with a number of injuries all season long. Because of the injuries, his play really suffered, but in his absence it has become clear how important him playing actually is.  The hope was that he would be rested up for the playoffs, because when he's healthy he's a solid right tackle.  He was limited in practice today while working some with trainers, so this move comes as a surprise.

It also means that the Colts will be without Cherilus for their playoff run, continuing the offensive line struggles the team has had recently. There are a couple options to replace him, though none of them are great.  Xavier Nixon started there two weeks ago, but he was so bad that the Colts moved Jack Mewhort from left guard to right tackle last week.  With Joe Reitz likely returning this Sunday, however, he seems like the most likely candidate to start at right tackle.  Then it would likely mean that Lance Louis would remain at right guard.  We can't rule out the possibility of Mewhort being moved to right tackle again, but I think it's more likely that Reitz will play there for the playoff run.

Either way, this is a significant loss for a Colts team with an offensive line that has been a continual struggle all year long.  The shuffling likely won't end anytime soon, as now Cherilus is out for the year.