Indy’s perennial Pro Bowl guard could make history for the Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts’ starting offensive line will feature a fraction of its unit going into the 2025-26 season. After losing the longest-tenured Colt and starting center of the last nine seasons, Ryan Kelly, as well as a recently ascending guard in Will Fries to free agency, Colts OL Coach Tony Sparano Jr. and Co. have their work cut out for them moving forward.
As far as who is slotted to become the team’s next starting center/right guard combo, there are two youngins still on their rookie contract(s) who are waiting in the wings: second-year offensive interior linemen Tanor Bortolini (center) and Matt Goncalves (guard). Both members of the Colts’ 2024 Draft Class, these two showed enough in various spot starts as rookies to provide the coaching staff with enough conviction to pass the torch as early as their second year in the NFL.
Although there remains uncertainty for the unit as a collective, the trio of returning starters across the Colts’ offensive line is nothing to slouch at. Pro Bowl candidates Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith have the bookends locked down, while one of the best OL in the sport, guard Quenton Nelson, returns to Indianapolis for his eighth season.
Since Nelson entered the league, few OL have rivaled his dominance. Thankfully for him, the NFL finally has a way of showcasing the league’s best OL in any calendar year. The Protector of the Year Award is the NFL’s latest individual award, which debuts this season, and is meant to shine a light on the most overlooked and often underappreciated position(s) in the sport.
Even though most NFL offensive linemen won’t put too much stock into this award, given that the position group is inherently comprised of selfless athletes, the recognition is both welcomed and long overdue.
As for Colts’ guard Quenton Nelson, he goes into the award’s inaugural season among the heavy favorites. According to DraftKings Sportsbooks, Nelson claims +2000 odds to win the award going into the season, the T-6th-best odds amongst all offensive linemen. The most impressive part about this grouping is that Nelson is one of two guards in the top 10 of odds.
Protector of the Year award odds are live on DK. What a time to be alive. pic.twitter.com/c88TRIWbHG
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) June 30, 2025
A Pro Bowler for every year of his career, Nelson is primed to continue dominating as one of the best balanced blockers in the NFL. Known for his freakish pulls in the run game, he, too, will make loopers pay on various twists and stunts.
Not to mention his five All-Pro nods (three First Team, two Second Team) in seven seasons speaks for itself. So long as he stays healthy — he’s only missed four games in seven years — therein lies a legitimate shot for Quenton Nelson to take home the league’s inaugural Protector of the Year Award as the NFL’s best offensive lineman.
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