The Indianapolis Colts don’t have much they can hang their hat on right now. They’re optimistic about where they’re headed, but overall, they have a roster in need of an infusion of depth, with some big holes to fill in multiple areas.
However, one area the Colts have excelled over the last couple of years is the offensive line, which saw a resurgence midway through the 2022 season. One big reason for that resurgence was the addition of Will Fries to the starting lineup at right guard.
It wasn’t initially a hit, though. Fries and fellow new starter Bernhard Raimann had their growing pains, but both stayed in the starting five and showed immense growth, becoming two of the more reliable players at their positions in the NFL.
Now, the Colts have a tall task ahead of them. Fries is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career next week, and they are expected to have heavy competition for his services. Do the Colts do what it takes to retain a player they drafted and developed four years ago, or do they let him go?
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports says Fries is the free agent the Colts can least afford to lose.
“The Colts’ top priority might be adding legitimate competition for Anthony Richardson, but investing in the trenches is never a bad idea,” Benjamin wrote. “And Fries has been promisingly physical when healthy.”
Fries (6’6″, 305, 26 years old) was selected by the Colts in the seventh round (248th pick) of the 2021 NFL Draft as a player who had the flexibility to play all five positions on the line. However, he found a home at right guard during the 2022 season and has since started 31 consecutive games.
According to Pro Football Focus, Fries has increased his overall grade in each of his first four seasons, from 54.8 to 58.4, 61.2, and 86.9, also increasing his pass-blocking grade each year as well.
Fries saw just 268 snaps in 2024 before suffering a season-ending lower leg injury in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. At the time, Fries was playing at an All-Pro level. He was graded as the NFL’s 10th-best offensive lineman overall (fifth-best interior offensive lineman) and 10th-best run blocker (seventh-best IOL).
On a line that also features Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith, a team source said that Fries was performing as the Colts’ best offensive lineman and was hopeful that the team would be able to re-sign him this offseason.
The Colts almost always reward their own mid-late-round success stories regardless if they are a difference maker or not, but Fries has legitimately ascended himself into being an above-average NFL guard.
Will the Colts do what it takes to keep one of their biggest internal success stories in recent memory? We’ll find out next week.
