Indianapolis Colts: Starting Right Guard Race is “Wide Open”

The Indianapolis Colts know they have to get their offensive line figured out in order to be effective offense. The starting right guard spot was a point of concern for the team coming into training camp, and it appears anyone could earn the spot.

The Colts want to make sure they have the best starting right guard possible when the regular season begins. As a result, the team is evaluating its talent by giving starting reps to nearly everyone.

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski made it very clear that the right guard position is up for grabs.

"“I see it as wide open right now. Hugh [Thornton]’s getting some reps in there, obviously Denzelle [Good] is, Joe Haeg’s getting some work, I mean we’re rolling some different guys through, and again, it’s not just what they’re doing at right guard, it might be what they’re doing at other positions too as well, that’s part of the assessment in saying, ‘well, this is a guy that we need to get in that spot.’”"

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Everyone capable of playing right guard is getting first-team reps early in training camp. This line of thinking is different from 2015. Last training camp, the Colts quickly announced their starting offensive line. Todd Herremans and Lance Louis filled both guard positions.

In this situation, naming starters early in training camp hurt the Colts because Herremans and Louis were replaced during the season. Chudzinski does not want that scenario to happen again in 2016.

"“The number one thing for me is to make sure that we got the right five. If you don’t have the right five you can have continuity, but you don’t have the right five. And some point down the road, that’s going to hurt you. So it’s getting the right five as soon as we can, as soon as we can identify that right five, and that’s a process."

Coming into training camp, most people assumed Hugh Thornton, Jonotthan Harrison and Denzelle Good were going to be the main competitors for the starting role. However, it is interesting to hear that the Colts 2016 fifth round pick Joe Haeg is also getting first-team reps.

It is good the Indianapolis Colts are giving starting reps to multiple players early in camp. Last year, they probably rushed themselves into picking the wrong starting offensive line because they wanted to build continuity.

This year, they are sacrificing continuity in order to find their five best offensive linemen. As a result, there is no set timetable on naming the starting right guard, according to Chudzinski.

"“Sometimes that process can go the whole preseason, sometimes it can go a week or two. In my experiences, if you set a date on that you’re making a mistake, typically. But we’ll assess that and get to that point and get those five together and working together and talking together and all those things that group needs to do.”"

Right now, Thornton is probably the favorite to win the job because he is the Colts’ longest-tenured right guard and has the most starting experience. However, the favorite could change daily because the Colts are giving first-team reps to so many players.

Next: Colts Rumors: Team Not Looking to Add Veteran Receiver

It should be interesting to see who emerges from this “wide open” position battle. Hopefully, the year’s strategy pays off for the Indianapolis Colts and propels them towards a successful 2016 campaign.

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