The Indianapolis Colts have not made it official, but Aaron Wilson has reported that the team has signed third-round pick Matt Goncalves.
Update: The Colts announced that they signed Matt Goncalves and Tanor Bortolini.
Wilson adds that Goncalves deal will pay him $5.839 million over the standard four-year rookie contract and comes with a $1.066 million signing bonus.
A toe injury limited Goncalves to only three games in 2023, but he was on the field this past weekend for Colts’ rookie minicamp. His playing time at Pittsburgh came either as a left tackle or a right tackle, but the Colts also like his ability to play guard at the NFL level as well.
In 2022, Goncalves allowed 17 pressures and ranked 56th in pass-blocking efficiency out of 200-plus tackles and 55th in PFF’s run-blocking grade.
From Goncalves’ play on the field, his versatility, mentality, and fit in the locker room, the Colts love everything about what he can add to this team.
“If I’m giving this guy a nickname,” said area scout Chad Henry, “it would be ‘The Blueprint’ because he is the pure, exact blueprint of what we want in an offensive lineman in our room. I don’t know that there was an offensive lineman on the board that fits our room better than this guy. Big, smart, tough, strong, mean, high giving a (expletive) factor, versatile, dependable, really cares.”
In the short-term, Goncalves likely adds depth at both the guard and tackle positions. Next offseason, however, right guard Will Fries is set to be a free agent and right tackle Braden Smith will be in the final year of his deal, and comes with a nearly $20 million cap hit.
The Colts announced on the eve of rookie minicamp that they signed five of their nine draft picks—all of whom played on the defensive side of the ball. Adonai Mitchell and Anthony Gould still remain unsigned—or at least it hasn’t been announced or no reports have been made.
