The Colts have signed Sam Tevi and Julién Davenport as free agents in the wake of Anthony Castonzo’s retirement, but they have not settled on a replacement for Castonzo at left tackle.
When Castonzo retired, there was talk of Quenton Nelson moving from left guard and Castonzo said he thinks Nelson has the skills to play the position. No one from the Colts has shot down the notion, but a new member of the coaching staff did offer some notes of caution this week.
Assistant offensive line coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae said that moving pieces around on the offensive line isn’t as easy as Castonzo may have made it sound earlier this year.
“Not specifically about this team but just in general, it’s not as easy as everybody thinks it is,” Mawae said, via Mike Chappell of WXIN. “Everybody is like, ‘Just plug them in at guard.’ Well, that just doesn’t happen like that. I think there are unique tools and attributes that a guard has to have versus a tackle and a center, and just to plug and play is not the right way to go about it. You want to put the best five guys on the field talent-wise, but also you want to put the best five combination out there.”
The Carson Wentz trade took care of the biggest offensive need for the Colts and leaves the door open to adding another option at tackle early in the draft later this month. If Mawae’s voice impacts that decision, it’s a good bet Tevi and Davenport will have some company.