Getty Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin spoke about the team's offensive line to Heavy senior reporter Matt Lombardo.
It’s been a subpar year for the Indianapolis Colts offensive line. The unit possessed the reputation as one of the best offensive line groups in the league going into the 2022 season.
Instead, the statistics suggest they’ve been one of the worst groups up front this fall. Going into Week 15, Indianapolis has allowed a league-high 46 sacks. The Colts are also 26th in rushing one year after running back Jonathan Taylor won the rushing title.
With four games remaining, Indianapolis is ranked 28th with 4.0 yards per carry.
But according to Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin, despite the unit’s struggles, there are aspects of the team’s great offensive line from past years that remain.
In an interview with Heavy NFL insider Matt Lombardo, Franklin strongly praised Colts starting left guard Quenton Nelson.
“Man, Quenton’s relentless. Obviously another big, tough, physical guy, that loves finishing, blocks,” Franklin said on The Matt Lombardo Show. “I think with Quenton, a lot of him is, he’s way more athletic than I feel like you would expect for a guy his size.”
What Zaire Franklin Has Learned From Quenton Nelson
Colts fans didn’t need Franklin’s comments to know Nelson has been one of the best guards in the NFL over the last few years.
Nelson made first-team All-Pro each of his first three NFL seasons from 2018 to 2020. He made second-team All-Pro in 2021 as well, and in all four years since joining the Colts, he’s played in the Pro Bowl.
Nelson has the type of talent that not only can elevate the two offensive linemen next to him on offense, but that can also make defenders, such as Franklin, that go up against him every day in practice better.
Franklin shared with Lombardo what he has learned from Nelson and the other Colts offensive linemen.
“I feel like a lot of things with what I’ve learned with going against our o-line is just really just beating guys to the spot,” Franklin told Lombardo. “A lot of times, learning as you learn the game, you learn that offensive linemen have certain landmarks that they like to reach on certain blocks, and certain marks that they kind of set for themselves to put themselves in position.”
How Quenton Nelson Has Fared in Analytical Statistics During 2022
Similar to the more basic offensive line statistics, the Colts have not fared well along the line in the grades from Pro Football Focus. Entering Week 15, PFF has Indianapolis’ offensive line ranked 21st in run blocking and 27 in pass blocking this season.
But Nelson has been one of the unit’s better players. PFF has the 3-time All-Pro ranked No. 14 among 36 offensive guards who have played at least 80% of his team’s offensive snaps this season. The only Colts offensive lineman with a better season grade than Nelson is right tackle Braden Smith.
The PFF grades aren’t the end all, be all. But Nelson has still left a little to be desired from an analytic standpoint based on his previous seasons.
During his three All-Pro seasons, he received grades of at least 81.6 from PFF. In 2019, Nelson was the No. 2-ranked guard with a grade of 91.2.
This season, Nelson has earned a player grade of 68.6. That’s about where he finished last season too, with a 69.1 grade.
Interestingly, the Colts offensive line has played better since Jeff Saturday became interim head coach. According to PFF, Indianapolis’ best two games up front this season were the last two weeks.
But that improvement hasn’t come from Nelson, who has posted below-average grades each of the last three games.
On the night before the season opener, the Colts signed Nelson to a 4-year contract extension that will make him the highest-paid guard in the NFL. If Indianapolis is going to get back to its dominant offensive line days, it must start with the “relentless” Nelson.