COLTS OL PREVIEW: Quenton Nelson and Crew More Critical Than Ever

The Indianapolis Colts are going all in on their belief that what makes them a successful offense can be found in-house.

They re-signed quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce this offseason, and aside from trading away wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., the Colts' offense is mostly the same cast of characters from last year.

Up front on the line, expectations in 2026 are high for a group that allowed the Colts to finish second in the league in rushing touchdowns (27) and tied for 10th in yards per carry (4.5) last year.

The two biggest changes on the line are Jalen Travis being inserted into the starting lineup full-time as the right tackle. He replaces Braden Smith, who left in free agency to join the Houston Texans after serving as the Colts' right tackle since 2018.

"Yeah, he's really just been a dog since he's gotten here," left guard Quenton Nelson recently said of Travis. "Works his tail off. So detail-oriented and wants to be great, and a great human being as well. But I mean, just like his intangibles are crazy there. There's stuff with him you can't coach, like he's physically gifted and the way he can move at that size and his strength and power can really be imposing on defensive linemen. He's got long arms, his punch, pass.

"I'm really impressed with him, and I thought he stepped up big for us last year, and that's what he's going to do this year. He's gonna stay on track and be even better this year. "

The Colts also drafted Jalen Farmer in the fourth round, who will get an opportunity to compete for a serious role, mostly likely at right guard, but perhaps even as the swing tackle.

Here's what to expect from the Colts' line in 2026.

Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Jalen Travis

The Colts return four of their five starting linemen from Week 1 last year, and Travis started the final four games of last season, so this group has already gotten a head start on its cohesion.

Raimann and Nelson are the known stars of the show as the $20 million-per-year men, but look for Bortolini and Goncalves to truly ascend. Bortoloni was already considered the NFL's No. 3 center last year, per Pro Football Focus, and Goncalves has completed his first season ever at guard.

"This dude was not a guard in Pop Warner. He was not a guard in middle school, high school, college. This guy was a tackle," Colts offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. said of Goncalves. "So then he's making a positional jump at the highest level of football. There's going to be some growing pains with that. That being said, you watch what he did last year; this dude played some really high-level ball for the majority of the season, and he learned a ton of stuff in the process. So yeah, I expect him to hit the ground running. He's already well ahead right now of where he was a year ago, which is what you want to see."

Jalen Farmer, Luke Tenuta, Dalton Tucker,  Blake Freeland

The Colts were enamored by Farmer coming into the draft, calling him the strongest lineman of the group. So far, Nelson likes what he's seen from his new linemate.

“Talented, wants to get better," Nelson said of Farmer. "He’s asking a lot of questions, and then listening to the answers and trying to apply it, which you love to see – is a guy trying to get better.”

Tenuta and Freeland appear to be poised to battle for the swing tackle role, while Tucker continues to provide depth at guard, and likely as the No. 2 center since Danny Pinter departed in free agency.

Josh Sills, Bayron Matos, Nolan Rucci, Jimmy Morrissey, Geno VanDeMark, Josh Kreutz

The Colts really like some of the players they have at the bottom of the O-line depth chart. Sills has stuck around for a few years now, primarily on the practice squad, and Sparano recently shouted out Matos, Rucci, Morrissey, and VanDeMark specifically.

Matos is currently occupying the Colts' International Player Pathway exemption, so he'd be an extra "free" spot on their practice squad. Rucci was a draftable player this year, so could outperform his status as an undrafted free agent.

We could see one or two players from this group sneak their way onto the Colts' Week 1 roster.