The Indianapolis Colts have made another big move to improve their offensive line this offseason as they have signed veteran Austin Howard, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Howard, 31, played and started all 16 games at right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens last season. He spent the previous three seasons for the Oakland Raiders, where he played in 40 games, making 39 starts. He also started all 32 games he played for the New York Jets.
Howard will likely be in strong contention to start at right tackle this upcoming season. The Colts couldn't settle on a single starter at the position last year as they shuffled through several options, from Denzelle Good to Le’Raven Clark to Joe Haeg.
If Howard can provide more stability in the right side, the Colts’ offensive line as a whole will look a lot better. They already took highly rated left guard Quenton Nelson with the No. 6 pick in the draft, and also grabbed another guard in Braden Smith in the second round. Anthony Constanzo remains a stalwart at left tackle. Center Ryan Kelly, who is another former first-round pick, will be looking to bounce back after an injury-riddled 2017.
A more stable offensive line should be good news for quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck took a good beating while playing behind that subpar unit for the past few years, which contributed to him hurting his shoulder.
By acquiring the likes of Howard and Nelson, the Colts finally realize that protecting their star quarterback is of utmost importance if they want to return to respectability in the near future.
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