Colts starter may have played his final snaps for the team after latest injury ends his season and sheds doubt on his future
The Colts placed a player who has started every game this season on the IR, ending his regular season. Unless they make a miraculous run to make the playoffs, it could also be the end for him in Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Colts have multiple essential players on their roster set to hit free agency. The headliners are recently injured QB Daniel Jones, breakout WR Alec Pierce, and one of the most underrated players on the roster, Nick Cross. Another is right tackle Braden Smith, who has been a steady force on the offensive line for the team for eight years.
Smith has played in all 13 of the Colts’ games this season, though he was forced to leave last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars early with a concussion. The injury has been severe enough that the team felt it necessary to place him on the IR, which will sideline him for the remaining four games of the regular season.
Colts place Braden Smith on the IR, which could end his time with the team
The Colts drafted Smith in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. After playing guard at Auburn, the Colts transitioned him to tackle right away, and he’s never looked back. He’s been one of the most consistent players on the team for nearly a decade and arguably the second-best lineman behind Quenton Nelson for the majority of his career.
Due to his own battle with his mental health, there were some rumblings that he could consider retirement last off-season. Now his season comes to an end due to a concussion, unless the Colts can find a way to make the playoffs. It is also worth noting that this might have been his final season with the Colts and in the NFL.
If that is the case, I hope fans will remember his time with the Colts fondly. He has been an underrated member of this team for quite some time and battled through multiple different injuries on top of his battle with mental health over the years. The business side of football can be tough at times, and even if Smith doesn’t retire, it’s hard to see the Colts offering him a fair market deal, given their likely need to pay Pierce, Cross, and potentially Jones. Especially with the team having young linemen on the roster that could potentially replace Smith in Jalen Travis and Matt Goncalves.
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