The Colts passed on adding a starter-level left tackle in the draft. They did not view potential first-round options as sufficient value picks and saw some later-round candidates scooped up ahead of their selections. But Indianapolis still has tackles in mind.
Eric Fisher is set to visit the Colts later this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The eight-year Chiefs starter popped up on the radar last month, and the Colts are now confirmed as one of the teams monitoring him.
A key connection exists here. Colts GM Chris Ballard was part of the Chiefs’ front office when they selected Fisher first overall in 2013. Ballard was still with the organization when it extended Fisher in 2016. Should Fisher prove healthy or on a reasonable track to full strength, he would stand to fill the Colts’ top need.
Anthony Castonzo‘s retirement made left tackle a Colts need for the first time in 10 years. Indy re-signed its left-edge stalwart last year, but the former first-round pick opted to walk away after the 2020 season. Fisher saw his team cut bait after the season. The Chiefs dropped the two-time Pro Bowler after he suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in the AFC championship game. While Fisher’s absence helped doom Kansas City in Super Bowl LV, the Chiefs moved on with an expansive O-line overhaul — one that features trade acquisition Orlando Brown Jr. in Fisher’s left tackle spot.
The Colts have added possible Castonzo replacements this offseason, in ex-Chargers starter Sam Tevi and former Texans and Dolphins first-stringer Julie’n Davenport. However, Fisher laps both in accomplishments and experience. The 30-year-old blocker did not miss a start due to injury from 2014-18 and proved instrumental upon return from core muscle surgery in 2019; his re-emergence coincided with the Chiefs’ late-season win streak that ended with a Super Bowl LIV victory.
Fisher suited up for 17 Chiefs games last season, making the Pro Bowl and missing only the Super Bowl due to injury. But the Achilles malady certainly cost him, with the Chiefs shedding his eight-figure salary. With the compensatory pick deadline having passed, the Colts will look into giving Fisher another chance.
For what it’s worth, since Fisher was cut I don’t think he’d count toward the compensatory pick formula anyway. They must be circling back to him since they didn’t draft a left tackle.
I am confident he will sign with the colts