Report: Colts’ RT Braden Smith Dealing With Foot Injury; Will Be Monitored Throughout the Week

Colts’ right tackle Braden Smith is dealing with a foot injury which “crept up” during Sunday’s 28-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, according to Zak Keefer, a writer for The Athletic.

Smith, who’s considered one of the league’s more underrated right tackles, struggled mightily against a young and unproven Seahawks’ pass rushing group in Sunday’s season-opener.

Many seemed surprised from Smith’s performance as he was exceptional in pass protection last season and didn’t surrender a single sack when going against some of the NFL’s top-tier pass rushers last season.

The Colts’ offensive line in general was nothing short of deplorable, surrendering 4 sacks and allowing quarterback Carson Wentz to be hit over 10 times. For context: The most hits former quarterback Philip Rivers took last season in a game was 5.

As Indianapolis continues to monitor the right tackle’s status health-wise, the team has to hope Smith won’t miss an extended period of time.

We’ve known the Colts’ first five games of the season weren’t going to be easy, and the Los Angeles Rams, led by three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, come to Lucas Oil next Sunday.

It’s early but not having Smith would be less than ideal, as the team would potentially have two backup tackles in against the league’s top ranked defense from a year ago.

Perhaps left tackle Eric Fisher, who continues to work his way back from an Achilles injury and is considered ‘day-to-day’; according to Frank Reich, could be ready to make his Colts’ debut next Sunday. But that, of course, will depend on how he continues to progress throughout this week.

Facing the Seahawks was the first of five exceedingly tough tests to come Indianapolis’ way. The Rams, Ravens and Dolphins all have young and impressive defensive fronts which can swing the momentum of the game in their team’s favor in a hurry.

Simply put: the Colts cannot afford to lose Smith and should be hoping that Fisher can make return to the team’s starting lineup sooner rather than later.