Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith underwent successful knee surgery this offseason to repair the nagging injury he played through at the end of the 2023 campaign.
General manager Chris Ballard told reporters Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that Smith’s surgery was successful. Whether Smith will be ready to participate in the spring workouts remains to be seen.
#Colts RT Braden Smith had surgery on the knee that had him hobbled for much of last season, Chris Ballard said.
They're hoping for a much healthier 2024 after he missed seven games last year.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) February 28, 2024
Even though injuries limited Smith to just 10 games last season, he was a vital piece of the offense. He didn’t allow a single sack and his 14 pressures allowed were the third-fewest among offensive tackles with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
On top of that, Smith was one of the best run blockers in the NFL when he was on the field, ranking in the top 10 in ESPN’s run-block win rate metric.
The starting five on the offensive line rarely played together at the same time with only a handful of games featuring the starting unit. But they were as strong as any offensive line in the league when they were healthy.
The emergence of Bernhard Raimann at left tackle coupled with Smith’s dominant play when healthy has given the Colts bookend tackles they can rely on heavily.
Hopefully, the surgery will prevent any issues moving forward, and the Colts right tackle can get back to dominating the edge in 2024.
