Danny Pinter’s Opportunity, Kwity Paye’s…

With the departures of Mark Glowinski (Giants) and Chris Reed (Vikings) in free agency, an opportunity opened up for Danny Pinter to compete to start for the first time in his three-year career. But that opportunity at right guard isn’t changing Pinter’s offseason process as the Colts’ offseason program kicked off this week.

“You’re just looking for opportunities in this league and you got to run with them,” Pinter said. “So I think I got an opportunity right now, but opportunities are what you make of them. My mindset is to come in here and work every day and trying to make the most of it.”

Following a strong showing in three starts at center for the Colts last season, Pinter set out this offseason to work to improve from his mistakes and hone in on the why behind his successes in 2021. And for the second straight year, Pinter is spending time training in Chicago with longtime Bears center Olin Kreutz (Pinter, this year, has been joined in training with Kreutz by teammate Will Fries as well as Raiders guard/tackle Alex Bars and Bears center Sam Mustipher).

“I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to go work out in that gym,” Pinter said. “It’s a gym that commands your best every day. You got to show up, you got to put the work in and just learning from a guy like (Kreutz), it’s no secret why he had the success he had while he was playing and just extremely grateful for the opportunity.”

Pinter does not have in-game experience playing guard, but this is a guy who went from playing tight end and tackle in college at Ball State to center in the NFL, after all. And he’s studied his teammates over the years – a group of players that includes one of the very best guards in the NFL.

“There’s certainly differences — staggered stance, hand in the ground more than on the ball,” Pinter said. “There’s definitely all that type of stuff. But I’ve got guys like Q (Quenton Nelson), guys like seeing guys like Glow and (Reed) do it on film, that type of stuff, awesome guys to look at. That’s just stuff you continue to attack.”