One day after learning that their franchise quarterback will be sidelined for at least a month, the Colts may also be down their top offensive lineman.
Just when it seemed as if the week couldn’t get worse for the Indianapolis Colts, it just did. All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson arrived at practice Tuesday morning wearing a boot on his right foot.
The exact details of the injury haven’t been made clear. More details are expected to come from head coach Frank Reich later on today.
The apparent foot injury to Nelson comes the day after it was announced that quarterback Carson Wentz will have to undergo surgery to repair his injured foot and will be sidelined for 5-12 weeks.
What’s next for the Colts if Nelson misses time?
With the Colts already down their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, losing their best offensive lineman is the last thing they needed as they continue a very snakebitten week of camp. With Wentz gone, the Colts were inevitably going to rely more on the run game with Jonathan Taylor, Marlon Mack, and Nyheim Hines.
If Nelson’s injury sidelines him for any portion of the regular season, running lanes will be harder to come by between the tackles.
The Colts are scheduled to begin pre-season play Aug. 15 where they will host the Carolina Panthers. It’s a certainty that Wentz won’t be playing, but it would be very surprising, regardless of the severity of the injury, if Nelson takes the field for the team’s pre-season opener.
It’s been a camp from hell for the Colts thus far. All they can do now is await details on Nelson’s injury and adjust accordingly. That said, losing both their starting quarterback and their All-Pro offensive lineman would Indy with the deck stacked against them heading into the regular season.