Danny

Pinter

“On of them in the mix of the battle is coming off an injury. That timeline may or may not be perfect for that first game,” Minter relayed via the team’s website Monday. Recent signee Ethan Pocic is coming off a torn Achilles in Week 14 of the 2025 season but possesses the most starting experience of the players battling to supplant longtime starter Tyler Linderbaum following his departure in free agency. Minter’s comments, while slightly vague, seem to point towards Pocic as the desired starter, assuming his injury recovery continues to progress without hiccup. Fellow free agent additions Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn will compete with Pocic for the starting role.

Pinter had just 10 starts at center over five seasons with the Colts — he missed 2023 entirely with a broken ankle — and seems like a candidate to compete for the role replacing Tyler Linderbaum. How big of a candidate he is probably depends on how high the draft capital spent on center in this year’s draft is, but Pinter’s got a chance to start for sure.

Pinter has played in 60 games for the Colts since joining the team in 2020, with nine starts over those five seasons. He will likely continue in a special teams role and as a rotational offensive lineman in 2025.

Pinter suffered the injury during Thursday’s preseason finale against the Eagles. Pinter had been filling in for starting C Ryan Kelly this summer, who is just now returning from a foot injury. The 27-year-old’s loss will be a big hit to the Colts’ interior depth. He has made seven starts over the past three seasons, being active for 46-of-50 games in the process.

“That’s what you work for, and that’s what you want in this league. I’ve just got to earn it,” Pinter said. “There’s obviously an opportunity there, and that’s just kind of my approach: opportunities are what you make of it.” A fifth-round pick back in 2020, Pinter has mostly worked as the backup center, making three starts at that position last year, but the team is reportedly confident he can step up at guard following the departures of Mark Glowinski and Chris Reed in free agency. Even so, it would not be a surprise if the team adds some competition in the draft.

Pinter (6’4/306) was a two-year starting right tackle at Ball State after transitioning from tight end earlier in his collegiate career but he has been announced as a guard. Pinter’s tight end athleticism showed up to the NFL Combine where he tested in the 94th percentile with an impressive 4.94-second 40-yard dash. Pinter’s overall technique and awareness need development, but he earned first-team All-MAC honors in his second year on the offensive line and has the athletic traits to be a worthwhile project. Unfortunately, Pinter will already be 24 years old when his rookie season kicks off. The position change will be another obstacle to overcome.

Pinter (6’4/306) was a two-year starting right tackle at Ball State after transitioning from tight end earlier in his collegiate career but he has been announced as a guard. Pinter’s tight end athleticism showed up to the NFL Combine where he tested in the 94th percentile with an impressive 4.94-second 40-yard dash. Pinter’s overall technique and awareness need development, but he earned first-team All-MAC honors in his second year on the offensive line and has the athletic traits to be a worthwhile project. Unfortunately, Pinter will already be 24 years old when his rookie season kicks off. The position change will be another obstacle to overcome.

Pinter (6’4/306) was a two-year starting right tackle at Ball State after transitioning from tight end earlier in his collegiate career but he has been announced as a guard. Pinter’s tight end athleticism showed up to the NFL Combine where he tested in the 94th percentile with an impressive 4.94-second 40-yard dash. Pinter’s overall technique and awareness need development, but he earned first-team All-MAC honors in his second year on the offensive line and has the athletic traits to be a worthwhile project. Unfortunately, Pinter will already be 24 years old when his rookie season kicks off. The position change will be another obstacle to overcome.

In his list of potential tackles who will move to guard, many of the candidates are based on the quickness. In Pinter’s case, it’s based on his measurements, as the 6-foot-4, 306-pound offensive lineman just doesn’t have the length you typically see in starting bookends. “Pinter switched from tight end to offensive tackle only a couple of years ago and still retained some of those movement skills despite packing on the mass,” Renner writes. “He has no problem cutting off linebackers at the second level or leading out to the edge.” The analyst does note that his play strength isn’t elite, but that has improved “dramatically” in the past few years. Expect to see Pinter off the board late on Day 2 or early on Day 3; with Renner giving him a Round 4 grade.

Compared to many of the other tackles in this draft class Pinter (6'4/306) was a late-comer, as has only been two seasons since he made the switch from tight end. The athleticism is there, but the inexperience at tackle makes Pinter more of a developmental prospect at this point in his career. “He faces an uphill battle, but has developmental potential that could interest zone-scheme teams at either guard or center,” Zierlein wrote about Pinter, who could be a late-Day 3 selection next month.