Colts OC: Rivers was sold on Indy's strong offensive line

Embarking on his 17th season and the final years of his NFL career, quarterback Philip Rivers put a priority on his protection.

When he hit free agency for the first time this March, one thing in particular led Rivers to choose the Indianapolis Colts.

"The big part of Philip being here is Anthony Castonzo, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith, Mark Glowinski, right? Those guys are studs," Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said in a conference call, referring to the team's offensive line.

Sirianni added, "That's something that he just kept mentioning after we signed him ... how valuable those guys were to him."

The Colts' offensive line was ranked third in the league following the 2019 season by PFF. All five of the unit's starters played more than 1,000 snaps that season.

The Los Angeles Chargers, Rivers' former team, ranked 29th. Rivers was sacked more than 30 times in each of his last two seasons.