Indianapolis Colts: Lack of interest in Evan Mathis makes sense?

By Kevin Parvizi | Jun 16, 2015

Last season, the Indianapolis Colts offensive line was a bit of a weakness, particularly in the passing game, despite the fact that they had a standout in Anthony Castonzo and a promising rookie in left guard Jack Mewhort, who can also successfully play at right tackle, as they simply had too many question marks up front. Gosder Cherilus has never looked the same after major knee surgery, and the likes of Lance Louis and Hugh Thornton proved to be major liabilities at guard.

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Now that the Philadelphia Eagles have cut ties with star left guard Evan Mathis, who is regarded by some as the best player at the position in the NFL, you would be forgiven for thinking that the all-in Colts have some interest in beefing up the line in front of Andrew Luck and veteran back Frank Gore by signing Mathis.

However, a team source tells the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder that the Colts are not “making a push” to bring Mathis to their squad, and they are “unlikely” to change their minds on that front.

It’s a prudent move from the normally free-swinging Ryan Grigson, who made plenty of splash moves this offseason, and Holder reports that the team would like to develop their youth on the line into a cohesive unit that can successfully product Luck for years to come.

Again, it’s a mature way of looking at things from the Colts organization, even if Mathis would be a massive and immediate upgrade in both the running and passing game. Even though Mathis’s prowess is well-known around the NFL world, he’s also 33 and will figure to be expensive now that he can fetch his desired price on the open market.

Players of his caliber don’t come cheap, and the Colts already have plenty of money tied up after signing players like Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Gore this offseason. Moreover, as Holder notes, they have to worry about the looming Luck extension, so financial caution is now more important than ever for the AFC South’s top dogs.

As it stands right now, the Colts don’t have an overwhelming amount of depth at the guard position, so that is a cause for concern. Mewhort would have been a fixture at one guard spot, but the problem is that the Colts have been forced to move him to RT due to Cherilus’s constant post-injury struggles.

The right guard spot will be locked down by another former Eagles guard in Todd Herremans, who was a fixture in Philly for a long time and is still a quality starter in this league. However, the Colts have questions behind him and at left guard, where Hugh Thornton is currently penciled in as the starter.

Nov 10, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Evan Mathis (69) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Philadelphia won 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, the Indianapolis Colts best left guard on paper is Donald Thomas, but he is coming off of two straight season-ending injuries and might not be the same solid and promising player he was with the New England Patriots before signing- and appearing in just two games- with the Colts.

Thomas is, in fact, likely on the roster bubble because of two straight torn quads, and the Colts can’t count on the possibility that he is healthy and stands out for them in 2015.

The Colts offensive line isn’t one of the worst units in the league, but it is a subpar group and a weakness, particularly in comparison to the sheer amount of talent elsewhere on the offense.

Guys like Mewhort, Herremans, and Castonzo will help Luck out plenty, with Castonzo being one of the league’s finest left tackles. Those three are enough to help this group out, but an injury to one of those players could be disastrous.

Evan Mathis would be a huge catch for the Colts in an offseason of big signings, but they simply can’t afford to sign him. This is a case where Mathis would clearly make sense as a needed upgrade to a contender, but he doesn’t make sense due to his expected price tag; the Colts have to save money for Luck.

I’m not buying the whole “developing young OLs” angle, since the Colts would play the best players no matter what, but I do buy the fact that they are wisely being careful with their cap space.

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