The Indianapolis Colts have a weird way of handling players with medical issues. One of the latest issues is no longer their problem, though; Indy might still be to blame. Quenton Nelson, now with the Seattle Seahawks, is missing games with a knee problem.
That didn't happen after he was traded to Seattle a couple of weeks ago, according to head coach Mike Macdonald. Nelson was already hurt before the trade.
"I think two things are true," Macdonald told the media recently. "One, that it was something that he was dealing with coming out of whatever game he was before the trade. And I think it's been aggravated since he got here."
Quenton Nelson's injury is an example of an overall Indianapolis Colts problem
To be sure, Nelson did pass his physical after being dealt to Seattle, but how long the left guard was playing with the injury that required a minor procedure this week is unknown. That Nelson was playing injured shouldn't surprise Colts fans. The team has a recent history of allowing that to happen, and to the detriment of the player.
Daniel Jones played with a fractured fibula last season until he tore his Achilles tendon in his other leg a few weeks later. The two injuries might not have been connected, but people can still rightfully speculate about the coincidence.
Wide receiver Alec Pierce played with an ankle injury last season, too, and that required surgery this past offseason. The surgery was so major that he was expected to miss 4-6 months. He returned in five months, only to aggravate the injury, forcing him to miss most of the season. (He played in parts of the first two games, but hasn't since.)
Maybe the organization isn't putting any pressure on players to keep playing through injuries, but the recent trend is concerning. Not because the team might lose games without key players, but because it is easy to lose track of the fact that the players are real human beings, too.
Quenton Nelson's new absence with his new team further appears to expose Indy having players keep going when maybe they need a rest. The left guard hadn't missed any games since 2021, and only four in his entire career, but he played only one game with the Seahawks before missing a game or two with an injury he had with the Colts.
This could all be a coincidence, though one might want to watch if the team has a different approach now that general manager Chris Ballard has been fired. Maybe nothing changes, but one cannot rule that out.
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