How the Colts’ offensive line look like heading into the offseason
Players: Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Ryan Kelly, Bernhard Raimann, Blake Freeland, Will Fries, Wesley French
The offensive line had a bounceback year, led by veterans Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly, who had really good seasons even by their own already elevated standard. Big Q looked as healthy as ever, and Ryan Kelly was among the best centers in pass protection in the entire NFL.
Behind them, young players Bernhard Raimann and Will Fries had respectable seasons. While Raimann struggled a bit at times against All-Pro caliber pass-rushers like Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson, he helped solidify the line and improved a lot over the course of the season. Will Fries was one of the most pleasant surprises for the franchise this season, bringing stability to what was the weakest link of the Colts’ line last year. He played every single snap and was a great value pick for the Colts a few seasons ago.
The right tackle position was a bit inconsistent last year. Braden Smith missed a considerable amount of games and rookie swing tackle Blake Freeland saw the field a ton. When Smith was available it all went smoothly, but Freeland was clearly a big step down from him, attributed to understandable rookie struggles.
Behind them we have Danny Pinter and Wesley French, two capable depth linemen. Pinter suffered a broken ankle that caused him to miss most of the 2023 season.
Potential Additions: Depth
The Colts are set at backup tackle with Blake Freeland, who should continue to improve, but they are a bit thin on the interior, and with Nelson and Kelly not getting any younger they could be looking to grab some future starters in the middle rounds of this year’s draft. The Colts could also look into bringing more bodies on the inside.
Overall: A –
The Colts’ offensive line is one of the best units in the NFL, and with everyone healthy they are as good as it gets. Smith and Nelson will be 28 entering their primes, and Fries and Raimann are still young guns. With the development of Fries and Raimann, and the benefit of continuity, except injury strikes I expect this guys to carry the Colts next year.
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