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Colts’ Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson has suffered a similar injury to that of QB Carson Wentz, per head coach Frank Reich.
NEWS: Frank Reich says Quenton Nelson has a bone issue similar to Carson Wentz’s and will undergo surgery today. Similar timeline to Wentz.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) August 3, 2021
On Wentz, surgery was “best case scenario.” No further damage discovered.
Reich: “Can’t make this up.”
According to Colts reporter Zak Keefer, Nelson will “undergo the exact same procedure as Wentz, with the same doctor at the exact same time.”
You can't make this stuff up: A day after Colts QB Carson Wentz underwent a 4 p.m. foot surgery with Dr. David Porter in Indianapolis, Colts LG Quenton Nelson will undergo the same procedure, with the same doctor at the same exact time.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 3, 2021
The injuries, unfortunately, just keep coming for a team with such high playoff aspirations. Nelson hasn’t missed a single game in his entire career and now there’s a real chance he could miss significant time this season.
With Nelson’s injury, the Colts are now down three starters along the offensive line. Ryan Kelly is going to be out a few more weeks, LT Eric Fisher is still recovering from an Achilles tear suffered in last year’s AFC Championship game, and now the All-Pro guard is set to miss an extended period of time, too.
If there’s any silver lining in the Nelson news, it’s that the injury isn’t season-ending. But, just like with Wentz’s injury timeline, it’ll be at least 2-3 weeks post-surgery before the Colts have a better idea of when they’ll be getting their best offensive lineman back in the starting lineup.
Indy’s offensive line depth will certainly be tested now absent three starters. Luckily, GM Chris Ballard invested a fair amount of resources along that unit during the free agency period back in March. Veteran guard Chris Reed, who started several games for the Carolina Panthers last season, should be the player to slide in at the left guard spot until Nelson returns.
Given that both Nelson and Wentz have the exact same timetable for their returns, which is around 5-12 weeks, Colts fans can only hope that two of the team’s most important players will make a speedy recovery and return sooner rather than later.