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Indianapolis Colts: Austin Howard, Chris McCain provide veteran depth

By Andrew De Fazio

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 01: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates after throwing the game winning touchdown durling the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 01: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates after throwing the game winning touchdown durling the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Indianapolis Colts signed two veterans in Austin Howard and Chris McCain. How will they fit on their roster? Here is a breakdown of each player.

This past week, the Indianapolis Colts felt it was necessary to add some depth to their roster at a couple of positions. The Colts did so by signing defensive end Chris McCain and right tackle Austin Howard.

When looking at McCain’s 2017 season playing for the Los Angeles Chargers, he was their third defensive end on their roster and would rotate in for Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram along their front seven. While being limited to just 241 snaps last season, McCain was able to record 20 tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles.

McCain was able to show his capabilities as a pass rusher on a limited basis. One of McCain’s greatest strength is the speed he possesses on the edge. Along with this, he shows great use of his hands to get around tackles when need be.

Looking ahead to the 2018 season, McCain has a great chance to start at defensive end opposite of Jabaal Sheard, who enjoyed a phenomenal 2017. With more reps in store for McCain, along with him being just 26 years old, McCain has a chance to improve his game as a whole while displaying his capabilities as a pass rusher.

On the other side of the ball at offensive tackle, Austin Howard proved to be a serviceable player last year for the Baltimore Ravens. He was able to play all 16 games, missed just 4 snaps, and posted a 71.6 grade according to Pro Football Focus Edge, which is considered average by their standards.

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When looking at how he fits in with the Colts offensive line, he has a chance to compete against tackle Denzelle Good during training camp for the right tackle position. Howard also has some experience playing guard, so his versatility could be valuable to the Colts in case of an injury to their offensive line.

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