Former Colts guard Hugh Thornton signs with the Falcons

Another one of the Colts free agents has found a new team, as the Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have signed guard Hugh Thornton.

Thornton was drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Illinois, and he played in 37 games and started 32 of them for the Colts in his four seasons with the team. As a rookie in 2013 he started 12 games, and then he started eight games in 2014 and 12 games in 2015. He missed the entire 2016 season due to injury, however, and actually has wound up on IR in each of the last three seasons. On the field, Thornton’s main issue has been his consistency, but the biggest issue of them all for him has been his availability. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and that added to the inconsistency on-the-field led to it not even being much of a question of whether the Colts should give him a second contract this offseason.

Still, hopefully Thornton can stay healthy with the Falcons and help them. He has experience starting at both guard spots and could be in the mix at the spot in Atlanta, but at the very least could provide some decent depth. He’ll have a chance to compete for a spot with the Falcons, so hopefully he makes the most of it.

Thornton joins a growing list of Colts free agents to find new teams this offseason, as Mike Adams (Panthers), Zach Kerr (Broncos), Josh McNary (Jaguars), and Chris Carter (Redskins) have all signed elsewhere.