Colts observations: Anthony Castonzo injury a setback for Colts' offensive line

Stephen Holder | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Insiders - Castonzo hurt, Luck continues progress Insiders Stephen Holder and Zak Keefer discuss Andrew Luck's progress and what Anthony Castonzo's injury means to the offensive line.

WESTFIELD – Just as the Colts’ offensive line was starting to take shape, they now face their first setback of the season.

Veteran left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who left Friday’s practice with a sore hamstring, will be sidelined for an undetermined period of time, according to coach Frank Reich. While Reich did not specify an exact length of time on Castonzo’s absence – which appears to be the result of a recurrence of the same issue that caused him to miss the start of camp – Reich suggested it might not be brief.

“He’s going to miss a little bit of time,” Reich said. “We want to be conservative with him. It was unfortunate. He came out and had been feeling pretty good. (There was) no indication, there was no precursor. He just got a little dinged. So, he’ll miss a little bit of time and we’ll be conservative with it.”

More: Insider: What to make of the Colts' first depth chart

More: Austin Howard, Matt Slauson embrace setting tone for Colts' young offensive linemen

More: Colts RB Nyheim Hines and twin sister Nyah are alike in every way (but she’s faster)

The Colts only got their full projected starting lineup together in recent days, only to have this latest development.

This time, the Colts likely will be overly cautious with Castonzo. He originally sustained the hamstring injury last month while conditioning away from the team in preparation for training camp. But Castonzo was activated from the non-football injury list last Wednesday and immediately returned to practice.

Now that Castonzo has re-injured the hamstring, the Colts are looking at possibilities to fill in for him. On Sunday, newcomer J’Marcus Webb took many of the left tackle snaps with the starting unit. After being out of the league last year, Webb, 30, has a chance for another go-round after being signed last week. He’s not completely up to speed on the offense, but he’s managing.

“He’s doing a nice job, all things considered,” Reich said.

>> Running back Christine Michael, who finds himself in a battle to make the roster, has had some issues with ball security. On Sunday, Michael saw a swing pass bounce off his chest and into the arms of cornerback Lashard Durr, who jogged down the sideline to the end zone for a touchdown.

Last week, Michael fumbled twice in a physical practice, bringing him the wrong kind of attention. It’s unfortunate, too, because Michael has run the ball well.

Reich says defense looks 'really good' Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich updates media on defensive play.

>> A highlight of Sunday’s practice was Andrew Luck’s Hail Mary touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton in an “end of game” drill near the end of practice.

On the play, Luck was flushed out of the pocket, rolled to his right and, with defensive tackle Denico Autry giving chase, unleashed a throw across his body into the corner of the end zone into a scrum of players.

Hilton came up with the football for what would have been a winning score.

But what was most notable was Luck’s ability to make the throw, which went about 50 yards, in the air, while coming off his shoulder injury. The Colts want to see Luck navigate game-like situations that he hasn’t faced since he last played in 2016.

“He got out of there 100 miles an hour, and that’s a tough throw to turn and make,” Reich said. “So, that was definitely checking something off (the list). … That’s part of our goal, is to put him in those situations to make those plays in practice because it’s not only good for him to see and feel, it’s good for all of us to see and feel and know that he’s back in full force making those plays to win games for us.”