Following Tuesday’s Indianapolis Colts practice, Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star reported that the team is still tweaking its lineup at right tackle.
I'm not saying he's the starter. I'm saying that job is wide open right now. Which is not really good news IMO.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) August 22, 2017
Le'Raven Clark is working there too obviously. But they didn't start Vujnovich there on Saturday for kicks. They're searching.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) August 22, 2017
Coming into training camp, it was assumed that second-year pro Le’Raven Clark would be the team’s starting right tackle. His progress from the 2016 preseason to late in the 2016 regular season was astounding considering how bad he looked early on as a rookie.
After showing clear progress and being lined up as the starting right tackle this spring during OTA’s, it was natural to assume that Clark would keep progressing. However, he has been very inconsistent in practice this summer and in the team’s first two preseason games.
As Holder mentioned, Jeremy Vujnovich received the start at right tackle last Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie fourth-round pick Zach Banner has seen the majority of the second-team reps at right tackle in practice and the preseason, and now it appears the Colts want to see if he’s got what it takes to run with the starters.
The coaches know that when quarterback Andrew Luck returns, his health is priority No. 1. That means that the best offensive line combination has to be in place. As much as they probably want to be patient with Clark and keep developing him, it cannot come at the expense of Luck’s health. Clark can be worked with in practice.
Now, this all doesn’t necessarily mean that Clark won’t be the team’s starting right tackle come Week 1. But, the Colts are going to make sure that the best person for the job is in place.