The Colts are down to their third string at an important position for their Week 13 matchup vs. the Patriots
The Indianapolis Colts' loss in Week 12 to the Detroit Lions put their offensive line concerns on full display. The news of rookie Tanor Bortolini entering the NFL's concussion protocol made it even worse. Danny Pinter is the next man up at center for the Colts ahead of Week 13 Ryan Kelly is on the IR […]
The Indianapolis Colts' loss in Week 12 to the Detroit Lions put their offensive line concerns on full display.
The news of rookie Tanor Bortolini entering the NFL's concussion protocol made it even worse.
Danny Pinter is the next man up at center for the Colts ahead of Week 13
Ryan Kelly is on the IR for at least one more game, and now Bortolini will be forced to miss at least Week 13 as he goes through the league's concussion protocol. So, the team will turn to third-string center Danny Pinter. Here is what Steichen had to say about Pinter:
"Really smart, cerebral, very tough. Obviously, been around here for a while. The guys love him. So, if he gets that opportunity this week, we're definitely looking forward to that."
– Colts head coach Shane Steichen
For most teams, being down to your third-string center likely means you are playing a backup guard or activating a player off your practice squad. That's not the case for the Colts, with the team keeping three centers on their active roster since training camp. This gives them the rare ability to turn to a player that has played some decent football for them in the past as their third-string center.
The Colts drafted Pinter in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has started seven games for the team in total and came in relief multiple times as both a center and a guard. Entering the 2022 season, he was the team's projected starter at RG, but after massive struggles, he would return to the bench after just three games. While guard wasn't for him, he's played solid in relief at center over his career. Early in the season, the team was actually making him active over the rookie Bortolini, but once Kelly had to miss his first game, the Colts gave the rookie the chance to start over Pinter.
Week 13 will be his first offensive snaps of the season with his only time on the field this season coming on special teams. We will have to wait and see what the rest of the line looks like, but Pinter will have at least one familiar face next to him from the last time he started a game with Quenton Nelson at LG. Bernhard Raimann returned to practice this week, so the team is hoping he can return as the starting LT. This would open the door for rookie Matt Goncalves to take over at RG over struggling rookie Dalton Tucker, or the team could even go with another familiar face to Pinter in veteran Mark Glowinski.
Indianapolis Colts’ rival opens the door for Indy to three-peat an NFL trend during the holiday season
While the Indianapolis Colts lost in Week 12 to the Detroit Lions, there was a silver lining. The current AFC South leaders, the Houston Texans, dropped a home matchup against a Tennessee Titans team many believe already have their focus toward the 2025 NFL offseason and NFL Draft. The Texans have now lost three of […]
Anthony Richardson’s stat line hardly ever tells the full story and in the Colts’ Week 12 loss to the Lions it flat out lies
The Indianapolis Colts sit at 5-7 after their Week 12 loss to the Detroit Lions. As usual, some online took the time to point out Anthony Richardson's lackluster stat line as a reason for the outcome in Week 12. Richardson's stat line hardly ever tells the full truth, but his performance in Week 12 is a […]
