Colts' player named among best 2026 free agents by The Athletic
Daniel Popper of The Athletic is taking a very early look ahead to the 2026 offseason with his top 30 available free agents. On his list was one member of the Indianapolis Colts.
Coming in at No. 14 on Popper's rankings was left tackle Bernhard Raimann.
"Raimann is a lean left tackle, but he makes up for it with smooth feet and athleticism," wrote Popper. "He is sturdy in pass protection and can be a real weapon on the move in the run game. Raimann, who was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, and did not start playing football until he was 14, was drafted in the third round in 2022."
Raimann had a breakout year in 2023 and continued to build upon that performance in 2024. On the year, he would surrender just four sacks and 20 pressures over 471 pass-blocking snaps. Out of 83 eligible tackles last season, Raimann ranked 24th in pass-blocking efficiency.
In the run game, Raimann was 12th among tackles in PFF's run-blocking grade, with Jonathan Taylor would average nearly 5.0 yards per rush when running between Raimann and left guard Quenton Nelson.
'The progress that Berny has made from year one to now, it's been pretty incredible,' GM Chris Ballard said at the NFL Combine.
Raimann is currently extension-eligible. While we don't know when a new deal could take place, although Raimann right now is a projected top free agent next offseason, players of his caliber and at his position rarely get to the open market.
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