INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts announced that they have released right tackle Gosder Cherilus. Back in 2013, Cherilus was one of the headlines of the 2013 offseason. Indianapolis released Cherilus just two years into his five year, $34 million contract.
Injury struggles limited Cherilus
Cherilus is now 31 years old, and is coming off of knee surgery. The odds are not looking good for Cherilus; this surgery forced him to miss the Colts' mandatory components of the offseason. Cherilus has had constant battles with injuries during his tenure with the Colts, finding a spot on injured reserve on multiple occasions.
According to a league source, the Colts tried to engage in talks to restructure Cherilus's deal. Neither side could reach an agreement in these discussions that they liked, therefore, Cherilus was soon released by the Colts.
"We had some conversations with the Colts [during the last week], and they wanted us to do something contractually that we were not comfortable with," Cherilus's agent, Greg Diulus said. "But Gosder is very healthy, very much in shape and very much looking forward to the season."
Indianapolis saved $4 million in base salary by waiving Gosder Cherilus. Indianapolis will carry $2.9 million in dead money this season, and then $5.8 million in dead money in the 2016 season. Indianapolis felt like it was a lost cause to wait for Cherilus to stay healthy and perform at a high level.
Colts worried about Cherilus' health
Indianapolis has been worried all offseason about Cherilus's health. The team had 'very serious doubts' that Cherilus would be healthy enough to play at a high level this season, so the team used Jack Mewhort at right tackle with the first unit during the entire offseason. It appears Mewhort will replace Cherilus as the starting right tackle.
With the possibility of Mewhort moving to the right tackle position, the interior lineman positions remain to be up in the air. The projected starters at the offensive line appear to be (left to right): Anthony Castonzo, Joe Reitz, Khaled Holmes, Todd Heremmans, and Jack Mewhort.