After the worst season of his career, perennial Pro Bowl-guard, Quenton Nelson, is motivated to return to form for the Indianapolis Colts.
Anyone who watched the Indianapolis Colts this season likely had the same odd experience. While there was a lot going wrong for the Colts, it was one thing specifically that was baffling viewers: Quenton Nelson was struggling. Game after game, the player that is considered to be the best guard in football was struggling to make blocks. That never happened on a consistent basis in Nelson’s first four seasons so it kind of brought a lot of panic.
NFL experts argued that it might be the start of a decline, fans complained that Nelson’s play would start going downhill after he got his big contract extension, and for the Colts, Nelson’s struggles were just a part of a bigger issue with the offensive line. Fortunately, Quenton Nelson isn’t in denial of his step back this past season. He recognized it like everyone else and is already at work on a plan that will help him return to his dominant form.
More from Quenton: "It’s got me excited for this offseason, and I'm switching up my approach a lot."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) January 8, 2023
"Everything’s fixable. I plan to have my best year next year. It starts with the offseason. I truly believe I can do that."
Quenton Nelson is ready to get to work
Following Indy’s final game of the year, Nelson spoke with The Athletic’s Zak Keefer about his regression. Quenton admitted that he needed “to be better in 1-on-1 protection.” However, Nelson didn’t just state the problem aimlessly but he also shared that he has a plan and believes all of his issues are fixable. He went on to say that he’s “excited for this offseason” and that he plans to have the best season of his career next year.
That’s exactly what the Colts will need from Nelson. While the quarterback position will dominate the headlines this offseason for Indy, the offensive line was the team’s biggest problem and it needs to be fixed during the offseason, especially since Indy may have a rookie quarterback. Half of the battle is players who were once really good getting back to that status.
If Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith can return to the forms that got them paid, that alone would drastically improve the protection. If Indianapolis can also add some quality players through the draft and free agency, then the offensive line should be able to get back to a respectable level in 2023.
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