Matt Slauson started the first five games of the Colts’ season as their right guard. He won’t be able to suit up again for a while.
This is a strange move given Slauson’s recent work. He played all 83 snaps against the Patriots in Week 5. Nevertheless, he’ll spend at least eight weeks on IR. The Colts signed offensive lineman Evan Boehm off the Rams’ practice squad.
This news comes for a Colts team that could not use some of the players they kept on their game-day roster against the Patriots. And Indianapolis lost more players during the game. Now, either Slauson suffered an injury during the game and played through it — or has been playing through one that worsened recently — or the ninth-year blocker sustained another injury in between then and now.
The Colts signed Slauson to a one-year, $3MM deal this offseason. He moved into their starting lineup opposite first-rounder Quenton Nelson and played well. Both Colts guards graded as top-30 players, in the view of Pro Football Focus, through five games.
Slauson finished last season on IR as well. A biceps injury ended Slauson’s final Chargers season after seven games. However, he started all 16 contests for the 2016 Bolts at center. He’s been back at guard, his initial NFL position, for the past two seasons. The Colts, though, will need a new guard to step in when they resume their schedule.
A fourth-round pick in 2016, Boehm started eight games for the Cardinals last season. He did not make the Cards’ 53-man roster this year and instead latched on with the Rams’ practice squad.
This transaction is known throughout professional sports (and late night talk shows) as: “The Slauson Cutoff”.
Just too many miles on the big man. Should really think about calling it a career.