Matt Goncalves may not get much of the spotlight in Indianapolis, but he keeps showing up exactly where the Colts need him.
That’s been the story since his days at Pittsburgh, when he bounced between right and left tackle without much trouble. That kind of flexibility helped turn him into an appealing NFL swing tackle, and it was a big reason the Colts used a third-round pick on him in the 2024 draft. His size, power and leadership traits gave him real starting upside.
As a rookie, Goncalves backed that up. Injuries pushed him into action on both sides of the line, and he ended up playing more than 500 offensive snaps in his first season. Then came another shift in year two: with the tackles settled and the guard spot needing help, Indianapolis moved him inside and handed him the starting right guard job.
That was a real test. Goncalves had spent almost all of his football life at tackle before the 2025 season, even though some scouts believed a move inside might suit him better. So far, it looks like they were onto something.
A recent Pro Football Focus ranking placed Goncalves 30th league-wide at guard. That might not sound like a headline-grabbing number, but it matters in a big way when paired with Quenton Nelson, who is the third-highest-graded guard in their system. Put it together, and the Colts have two guards ranked in the top 30 among the league’s 64 starters.
The broader picture is just as strong. Indianapolis climbed into the top ten in yards per play and total first downs in 2025, both major steps forward from 2024.
Even more striking, their scoring percentage - the percentage of drives that end in some kind of score - jumped from 20th in the league last season to first in 2025. The rate was 49.4%, which the source describes as truly elite.
That improvement wasn’t all about Goncalves, of course. Daniel Jones and Tyler Warren were new to the offense and made major impacts, while center Tanor Bortolini emerged as a genuine rising star. But Goncalves sat right in the middle of the line’s rise, and settling in at right guard was a big part of it.
He’s now entering his third season at 25, with a full year as a starter behind him. There’s every reason to think he can keep growing. The strange part is how little attention he’s getting compared with the rest of the line.
Bortolini has been singled out as one of the league’s best young centers. Bernhard Reimann just landed a huge new contract at left tackle.
Quenton Nelson is headed for Canton one day. And much of the offseason conversation has centered on whether Jalen Travis can take over for longtime right tackle Braden Smith.
Goncalves, meanwhile, has stayed mostly out of the chatter.
The one exception comes from the Colts’ draft board. General manager Chris Ballard used his only offensive selection before the final round of the 2026 draft on Kentucky guard Jalen Farmer. That naturally raises the question of whether Indianapolis is uneasy about its current right guard.
The answer seems to be no. Farmer is described as an excellent prospect, and the pick looks more like a depth play than a warning sign. He should have a chance to learn behind Nelson and Goncalves while he develops during his rookie year.
There’s also another possible benefit to the move. If Travis has trouble at right tackle, Goncalves could be the easiest answer.
He already played a full game there in Week 16 last season, and that would allow the Colts to slide him back outside if needed. Dalton Tucker filled in at right guard in that game.
Tucker has also been getting work at center in camp, possibly as a candidate for Danny Pinter’s backup role. And if Farmer is viewed as having more upside than Tucker at guard, the draft pick gives Indianapolis another way to keep the line flexible.
For now, it’s all projection. The real answers won’t come until the games start. But whatever the Colts’ final plan is up front, Matt Goncalves looks like he’ll be right in the middle of it.
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