Tanor Bortolini will again be the Indianapolis Colts’ center, but who his backup will be this season is an unknown at this time.
For several seasons, that was a role filled by Danny Pinter, but he signed with Baltimore as a free agent this offseason.
So in Pinter’s absence, what options do the Colts have?
Well, there are three other players listed on the Colts’ official roster as centers. Geno VanDeMark and Josh Kreutz are both undrafted free agents. Jimmy Morrissey has been in the NFL since 2021, but has played only 318 career snaps on offense.
The Colts could also look elsewhere, specifically at the guard position with Dalton Tucker. Jake Arthur of Roundtable Sports, who covers the Colts and was at offseason programs, mentioned in his latest 53-man roster prediction that Tucker could be the answer at backup center.
“(Jalen) Farmer’s addition allows the Colts to kick Tucker further inside to backup center, where they needed help with Danny Pinter’s departure,” Arthur wrote.
Tucker has played 615 offensive snaps over his first two seasons, 464 of which came in 2024. The bulk of those reps have come at right guard, with a few at left guard.
Tucker has no in-game NFL experience at center nor any college experience either.
Considering Tucker’s seen game action at guard and has knowledge of Shane Steichen’s offense, with this being his third season in the system, he may be the Colts’ best option to back up Bortolini.
However, training camp will shed more light on how Tucker handles the potential position change if he continues to see reps at center. Not only does the action happen more quickly at center, but that player is tasked with making pre-snap calls and protection adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Is position change required for Colts’ OL as team searches for backup?
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Bretl, Colts Wire | USA TODAY Network
