Colts 2021 Season Review: Interior Offensive Linemen

A group that was expected to dominate going into 2021 ended up battling injuries and failed to perform to their potential.

Andrew Moore | Feb 22, 2022

Although it has only been a little over a week, it feels like it has been longer since the 2021 NFL season came to its conclusion.

For the Indianapolis Colts, it has been longer. 43 days to be exact. 43 days since the Colts failed to take down the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in a “win and you’re in” scenario that would have sent the Colts to the playoffs.

Instead, the Colts watched the playoffs from home for the second time in three seasons. The pressure is starting to mount to get this team back among the elites of the AFC.

The Colts have been spending the past month evaluating every aspect of the organization to improve in 2022. At Horseshoe Huddle, we have also been taking a look at each position and how they did last season.

Next up in the “2021 Season Review” series is the interior offensive linemen. Anchored by arguably two of the best at their positions, it was still considered a down year by this group as a whole by outsiders, and by the players themselves.

Since there are not many statistical categories for offensive linemen, we will include the grades given to the players by Pro Football Focus to help indicate performance.

Quenton Nelson

Stats: 13 games, 13 starts (all at LG), 69.1 PFF overall grade (62.0 PB, 70.4 RB), 1 sack allowed, 5 penalties

Accolades: Pro Bowl (4th), Second-Team All-Pro (1st)

Throughout his first three seasons, it was hard to think of Quenton Nelson as human. When a player starts his career with three First-Team All-Pro selections, that is justified.

This year, however, Nelson showed that he is human and can have a down year. While the big left guard did make his fourth consecutive Pro-Bowl, 2021 was the first year that Nelson did not get elected as a First-Team All-Pro. His 69.1 overall grade from PFF ranked 26th among all qualified guards.

A major reason for this was the injuries Nelson sustained throughout the year. Starting in training camp, Nelson had to have surgery on his foot to remove a piece of a broken bone fragment. This surgery came one day after quarterback Carson Wentz had surgery for the same exact injury. Nelson was still able to recover in five weeks and start Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks.

That wasn’t all. Nelson went down with an ankle injury Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans that forced him to go on short-term IR and miss the first regular season action of his career. While he only missed three games due to the ankle injury, it certainly hindered him throughout the rest of the season.

Couple that with the back spasms that Nelson dealt with throughout the year, and the big man was in a lot of pain. When in pain as much as he was, and playing with the physicality he does, it is no surprise he did not execute at the same level.

Even with what would be considered a down year, a Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro selection is a better season than most. After an offseason of rest and letting the end of the season fester, I’d expect Nelson to have another fantastic season in 2022.

Ryan Kelly

Stats: 14 games, 14 starts (all at C), 56.9 PFF overall grade (57.2 PB, 58.1 RB), 3 sacks allowed, 6 penalties

Accolades: Pro Bowl (3rd)

The 2021 season was one of the hardest years of Ryan Kelly’s career, both professionally and personally.

On the field, Kelly also dealt with numerous injuries throughout the year. Kelly was held out most of training camp with a hyperextended elbow and found his way onto the injury report throughout the season with knee trouble.

The injuries also affected his play. Kelly finished with the worst overall grade of his career from PFF, ranking 32nd out of 39 eligible centers. He also posted the worst run-blocking grade of any starter along the Colts offensive line.

Personally, Kelly and his wife Emma went through the tragedy of losing their newborn daughter in December. Kelly was away from the team for a few weeks during this time, as you would expect, and the Colts made sure he took all the time that he needed to be with his family during such a devasting time.

It’s safe to say 2021 was not the best year for the Colts’ Pro Bowl center. However, he was elected to his third Pro Bowl and is one of the revered leaders in the locker room. He is another player that you would expect to have a bounce-back year in 2022.

Mark Glowinski

Stats: 16 games, 14 starts (all at RG), 70.1 PFF overall grade (62.6 PB, 70.6 RB), 2 sacks allowed, 2 penalties

It seems as if when talking about the Colts’ offensive line, Mark Glowinski is the odd man out. While he may not have the accolades of Nelson or Kelly, Glowinski can still be counted out as a solid member of the offensive line. In fact, according to PFF, Glow had a better 2021 season than either one of his Pro Bowl teammates.

His 70.1 overall grade ranks 21st in the NFL among qualified guards for 2021, higher than Nelson. Glowinski posted better run blocking and pass blocking grades than Nelson as well. This goes to show that while some of the others may get the attention, Glowinski also tends to take care of business at his spot.

His performance in 2021 could not have come at a better time for Glowinski, as he is set to become a free agent this spring. Glow has been with the Colts since 2018 when general manager Chris Ballard placed a waiver claim on him during the season. He quickly became the starter at right guard and has not missed a start due to injury since.

The Colts have a decision to make as Glowinski should be in high demand on the open market. Will the Colts be willing to pay for Glowinski’s services? Or with Nelson’s huge extension looming and the Colts already investing heavily on others within the group, will they let Glow walk for a cheaper option?

The Rest of the Group

The depth along the interior of the offensive line took a step forward in 2021. This was highlighted by Chris Reed and Danny Pinter.

Reed was a free-agent signing made by the Colts last offseason and arguably one of their best. Reed started six games across both guard spots and earned a 67.2 overall grade from PFF, including a 69.5 run-blocking grade. Reed did an excellent job making holes for running back Jonathan Taylor when he got the chance to play and is certainly a candidate to return to the Colts next year.

Pinter saw a nice boost in his play during his sophomore campaign. Backing up Kelly at center, Pinter started three games and earned a 74.7 overall grade with a 78.3 run-blocking grade. He even caught a touchdown as an eligible receiver in Week 9 against the New York Jets. Pinter more than proved that he can be a reliable backup at center with great upside.

Outlook for 2022

While 2021 was not the year this group expected to have, 2022 should see a bounce-back season for the interior of the Colts’ offensive line.

Expect both Nelson and Kelly to come back much healthier and stronger in 2022. The collapse to end the year did not sit well with these two, and as leaders on the team, both will be heading the charge to get the Colts back on track.

The questions center around the right guard position, with both Glowinski and Reed set to hit free agency. With the Colts already giving big contracts to Kelly and right tackle Braden Smith, and Nelson’s extension expected to reset the market for guards, it does not look likely that Glowinski returns unless he agrees to play on a discount.

However, if Glow does walk in free agency, I do see the Colts trying to bring back Reed to be the starter at right guard. Reed played admirably when called upon at either guard spot, and would come at a cheaper price than Glowinski. Reed would be a perfect replacement for Glowinski, and there would not be a drop in the level of play.

Moving Reed up as a starter would mean the Colts will need to bring in someone for depth. While Pinter is locked in as the backup center, a free agent or rookie could be added to compete with 2021 rookie guard Will Fries. Fries spent most of the season inactive, but the Colts liked him enough to keep him on the active roster so other teams could not sign him away.

The interior of the offensive line will once again be a strength of the Colts in 2022 and will continue to be for years to come.

Have thoughts on the performance of the interior offensive linemen from the Colts in 2021? Drop a line in the comments below and let us know what you think!

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Published Feb 22, 2022

ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.