Colts may get boost to OL with Denzelle Good now “really close” to return

The Indianapolis Colts offensive line has gone from a unit with depth, to a unit of concern in just a few short weeks. Free agent signing Austin Howard has yet to become what the Colts had hoped, Jack Mewhort retired, Anthony Castonzo has been sidelined with a persistent hamstring injury along with a few more disappointments and injuries to add to that list.

However, it appears as though the group may get one one of their tackles back pretty soon as Frank Reich says that Denzelle Good is “very close” to being back. Reich also added that the goal was go to get him, not only on the practice field this week, but to get him in the Colts’ third preseason matchup with the San Francisco 49ers this Saturday.

The Colts have been using rookie second-round pick Braden Smith at the right tackle spot lately who was originally drafted to be one of the team’s guards of the future. Le’Raven Clark has also seen a much larger workload than previously expected due to Castonzo being out.

Good’s return means that this line will — at a minimum — get some much needed depth back in the mix, but doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll jump back into the starting lineup. Smith held his own last night for a project at tackle, but we’ll at least see some legitimate competition come back into the fold.

This also allows for the Colts to use Good wherever they might need him with consideration to his health. There are plenty of reasons to feel a bit of a let down after the Colts’ second preseason outing against the Ravens, but with the team needing an influx of talent to a few other positions, Good returning to action will at least eliminate any urgency for that with the offensive line.