Notre Dame football: Loss of Quenton Nelson bigger for the Indianapolis Colts
By Brad Weiss
The Colts have lost their quarterback and offensive guard in the past few days, and it is the former Notre Dame football star that is the bigger loss.
During his time with the Notre Dame football program, offensive guard Quenton Nelson became one of the best players in all of college football. A sure-fire first-round selection, Nelson was in fact picked early in the first, as the Indianapolis Colts came calling with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Since being selected, Nelson has become an absolute star for the Colts, a team that has been bitten by the injury bug over the past few days. First, starting quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a foot injury, deciding to have surgery a few days later.
On Monday, the same fate was suffered by Nelson, who was not able to finish practice and had to leave the field under the aid of trainers. A perennial All-Pro, Nelson is the one player on this Colts offense that they cannot afford to miss time, but as is the case with Wentz, the expectation is that he could be out between five and 12 weeks.
There is an outside shot he will be back for Week 1, but as it looks now, Nelson could end up missing the first game of his entire career.
Notre Dame football star on his way to a Hall of Fame career
In his first three seasons in the NFL, Nelson has not only established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the league but one of the best players overall. His peers continue to rank him among the top-100 players every season, and rightfully so, as he already has three All-Pro nods across his first three seasons.
Outside of a nice run in Philadelphia, Wentz has yet to prove that he is a legitimate franchise quarterback, and he could easily be replaced by the likes of Marcus Mariota, Nick Foles, or even backup Jacob Eason. In terms of Nelson, there is no comparable replacement, and with the way the Colts like to run the ball, this is the bigger loss for the franchise.
For now, the Colts will have to make do with the loss of both players, two of who were supposed to help this team not only get back to the playoffs but win a game. The AFC South has a true rival for the Colts in the Tennessee Titans, and the hope for Indy is that they can get both men back soon, especially Nelson.