At his end-of-the-season press conference, Colts general manager Chris Ballard was asked if moving Quenton Nelson from left guard to left tackle was an option for finding a long-term solution at that position.
"Why would you move a Hall of Fame left guard to left tackle? That just makes no sense to me," Ballard said. "Makes no sense. And look he's got a ways to go to be a Hall of Fame player. But why would you move a great player to left tackle? We're not doing that."
Nelson became the 56th player in NFL history to earn a Pro Bowl spot in each of his first four years in the league. He's one of only eight offensive linemen to accomplish that feat and is the second Colts player to do so, joining fullback Alam Ameche (1955-1958).
Nelson fought through being banged up in 2021 – he missed a game for the first time in his career when he went on injured reserve in early October – yet did not let that affect his ability to play at a high level.
"He sets such a high standard for himself," head coach Frank Reich said. "So let's just say whatever that number is, if it's a scale 1-100 and he's grading out at 95 all the time, but he's so banged up – you figure out to grade out at 90. I don't care. It's still winning football. It's still really good. He's still doing a lot of great stuff. Has he missed one or two things because he's been banged up? Maybe. I can think of one or two plays, not a ton. The one or two misses, is it because he's hurt? Maybe, but in this league you have to figure it out. If you're hurt and you can play, you've still got to figure out how to play winning football, and he's doing that."
Behind Nelson, Jonathan Taylor exploded for a league-leading 1,811 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns. Nelson was also one of nine starting guards to allow one or fewer sacks this season, per Pro Football Focus.
*Nelson will not participate in the 2022 Pro Bowl.
Snaps From The Season
See the best images of Indianapolis Colts 2022 Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson.
56 C/G Quentin Nelson
78 C Ryan Kelly, #2 QB Carson Wentz, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
78 C Ryan Kelly, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #13 WR T.Y. Hilton, #28 RB Jonathan Taylor
69 T Matt Pryor, #78 C Ryan Kelly, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
28 RB Jonathan Taylor, #79 OT Eric Fisher, #83 TE Kylen Granson, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
78 C Ryan Kelly, #28 RB Jonathan Taylor, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
28 RB Jonathan Taylor, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #69 T Matt Pryor
56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #75 G Will Fries
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #79 OT Eric Fisher
56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #79 OT Eric Fisher
63 G Danny Pinter, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
78 C Ryan Kelly, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #79 OT Eric Fisher
28 RB Jonathan Taylor, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson ,#72 T/G Braden Smith
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
28 RB Jonathan Taylor, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
78 C Ryan Kelly, #2 QB Carson Wentz, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
79 OT Eric Fisher, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #11 WR Michael Pittman Jr., #63 G Danny Pinter
![2 QB Carson Wentz, ]#56 C/G Quenton Nelson](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/colts/fq5milbxt8ttkxold7ze.jpg)
2 QB Carson Wentz, ]#56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #28 RB Jonathan Taylor
78 C Ryan Kelly, #28 RB Jonathan Taylor, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #2 QB Carson Wentz
78 C Ryan Kelly, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
99 DT DeForest Buckner, #53 LB Darius Leonard, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
78 C Ryan Kelly, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
11 WR Michael Pittman Jr., #81 TE Mo Alie-Cox, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
78 C Ryan Kelly, #56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quenton Nelson, #69 T Matt Pryor, #79 OT Eric Fisher
56 C/G Quenton Nelson
56 C/G Quentin Nelson
56 C/G Quentin Nelson
56 C/G Quentin Nelson
56 C/G Quentin Nelson; #73 T Julién Davenport
2021 Highlights
They Said It
"He's a really smart player. Everyone knows what great ability he has, but I think what makes Quenton (Nelson) special is how smart he plays and how instinctive he is. I think that's what takes his game over the top. He's a physically dominant player, but it's his instincts and his intelligence that take him I think to another level. During the game, he's one of those guys where if he says, 'Hey, here's what I'm seeing and feeling,' like over the years, you go back and look at the tape and he's always right as far as what he's seeing and feeling. So, you trust him." - Head coach Frank Reich
