The Indianapolis Colts are likely going to name their starting quarterback for 2025 soon. The expected play from the QB position isn't high, but as long as it's decent, Indy has a chance to make a run at the playoffs. That's if one revamped unit that was a strength in 2024 is good again.
The problem is that the group, which is the offensive line, lost two really good players in free agency. One if guard Will Fries. The other is center Ryan Kelly. Both, interestingly enough, signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
To replace them, Indy will likely start Matt Gonclaves at right guard and Tanor Bortolini at center. There is no guarantee that Gonclaves and Bortolini will be as good as Fries and Kelly, and it is Kelly who is probably the most irreplaceable. He is also off to a great start with the Vikings.
Former Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly will be a star for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota was very good last season, but its offensive line wasn't. The interior of the line was the problem. Kelly is going to fix the issue. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Kelly was the 11th-highest center in the league last year. Former Vikings starting center Garrett Bradbury was 27th.
More importantly, and something the Vikings are already reaping the benefits from, is that Kelly is a great leader, a wise voice to have in the locker room, and understands how to get his offensive line aligned pre-snap.
If Minnesota had a veteran quarterback behind center, then Kelly might not be as important, but that isn't the case. The Vikings are expected to start J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, and McCarthy, for all intents and purposes, is a rookie. He was injured before the season in 2024 and missed the rest of the year.
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He will be learning on the job, and Kelly's presence is going to help him adapt and be at his most efficient immediately. Had Minnesota kept the underperforming Bradbury (he left in free agency and signed with the New England Patriots) and had him be McCarthy's battery mate, the quarterback, offensive line, and offense overall would suffer.
Instead, former Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly is going to make the Vikings' offensive line into a top-15 unit, and his absence in Indianapolis could mean whoever is lined up behind center in Indy is probably going to face more interior pressure. Kelly will be missed, and Minnesota will be thankful they added him.