On the field
| Player | Snap Count | Pass Block Grade (per PFF) | Run Block Grade (per PFF) | Sacks Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Anderson | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 |
| Blake Freeland | 665 | 40.9 | 47.5 | 4 |
| Wesley French | 260 | 57.0 | 47.5 | 1 |
| Will Fries | 1,072 | 67.9 | 59.9 | 4 |
| Arlington Hambright | 6 | N/A | 67.4 | 0 |
| Ryan Kelly | 839 | 79.4 | 79.1 | 1 |
| Danny Pinter | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 |
| Quenton Nelson | 1,088 | 82.7 | 64.4 | 1 |
| Bernhard Raimann | 970 | 81.5 | 75.8 | 4 |
| Josh Sills | 36 | 48.8 | 59.9 | 0 |
| Braden Smith | 547 | 72.2 | 90.5 | 0 |
| Jared Veldheer | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 |
| Jake Witt | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 |
Review of the 2023 season
After a disappointing 2022 campaign, the Colts remained confident in their offensive line. Their decision to stand pat with the same starters proved to be the right one, as the offensive line played significantly better in 2023.
"Just the way they played together. They fought for each other. They were on the same page. The communication was great," head coach Shane Steichen said. "Ryan Kelly being the veteran that he is, and Quenton was awesome. Guys like Will Fries, Bernie and Freeland had to play a ton, Braden Smith and the moving parts – Tony (Sparano Jr.), our line coach, pulling that thing tight in there. Those guys playing for one another was awesome to see. You could see it on the field. You could feel it in here in the building, but they showed up every Sunday and played their tails off."
Here's how their performance this season compares to 2022:
A look back at some of the best shots of the Indianapolis Colts' offensive line from the 2023 season.
75 G Will Fries , 78 C Ryan Kelly
78 C Ryan Kelly
2023 Preseason Game #1 - Colts at Bills 8/12/23
75 G Will Fries
2023 Preseason Game #1 - Colts at Bills 8/12/23
62 C Wesley French
2023 Preseason Game #1 - Colts at Bills 8/12/23
4 QB Sam Ehlinger, 73 OT Blake Freeland
2023 Preseason Game #1 - Colts at Bills 8/12/23
75 G Will Fries , 56 G Quenton Nelson
56 G Quenton Nelson
79 T Bernhard Raimann
72 T Braden Smith , 75 G Will Fries
62 C Wesley French , 56 G Quenton Nelson
62 C Wesley French , 10 QB Gardner Minshew
62 C Wesley French , 56 G Quenton Nelson
62 C Wesley French
75 G Will Fries , 10 QB Gardner Minshew , 27 RB Trey Sermon, 62 C Wesley French
62 C Wesley French , 11 WR Michael Pittman Jr. , 56 G Quenton Nelson
72 T Braden Smith
56 G Quenton Nelson
72 T Braden Smith
73 OT Blake Freeland
5 QB Anthony Richardson , 78 C Ryan Kelly , 75 G Will Fries , 72 T Braden Smith , 56 G Quenton Nelson , 73 OT Blake Freeland
75 G Will Fries , 28 RB Jonathan Taylor
78 C Ryan Kelly , 56 G Quenton Nelson , 73 OT Blake Freeland
78 C Ryan Kelly
5 QB Anthony Richardson , 78 C Ryan Kelly
78 C Ryan Kelly , 5 QB Anthony Richardson , 56 G Quenton Nelson
75 G Will Fries , 6 WR Isaiah McKenzie
78 C Ryan Kelly , 56 G Quenton Nelson
10 QB Gardner Minshew, 75 G Will Fries, 73 T Blake Freeland, 78 C Ryan Kelly, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann
10 QB Gardner Minshew, 10 QB Gardner Minshew, 81 TE Mo Alie-Cox, 79 T Bernhard Raimann, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 78 C Ryan Kelly, 75 G Will Fries, 73 T Blake Freeland
56 G Quenton Nelson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann, 81 TE Mo Alie-Cox, 11 WR Michael Pittman Jr., 21 RB Zack Moss
11 WR Michael Pittman Jr., 73 T Blake Freeland, 75 G Will Fries, 78 C Ryan Kelly
78 C Ryan Kelly, 56 G Quenton Nelson
79 T Bernhard Raimann
56 G Quenton Nelson, 65 G Josh Sills, 93 DT Eric Johnson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann, 95 DT Adetomiwa Adebawore, 78 C Ryan Kelly, 62 C Wesley French, 64 G Arlington Hambright, 59 LB Cameron McGrone, 75 G Will Fries
83 TE Kylen Granson, 28 RB Jonathan Taylor, 79 T Bernhard Raimann
78 C Ryan Kelly, 56 G Quenton Nelson
75 G Will Fries, 78 C Ryan Kelly
75 G Will Fries, 62 C Wesley French
79 T Bernhard Raimann
72 T Braden Smith, 75 G Will Fries, 62 C Wesley French, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann, 11 WR Michael Pittman Jr.
10 QB Gardner Minshew, 28 RB Jonathan Taylor, \82\, 75 G Will Fries, 62 C Wesley French, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann, 86 TE Will Mallory
72 T Braden Smith, 75 G Will Fries, 79 T Bernhard Raimann, ,11 WR Michael Pittman Jr., 86 TE Will Mallory, 28 RB Jonathan Taylor
14 WR Alec Pierce, 72 T Braden Smith, 75 G Will Fries, 62 C Wesley French, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 75 G Will Fries ,11 WR Michael Pittman Jr., 81 TE Mo Alie-Cox, 1 WR Josh Downs
14 WR Alec Pierce, 72 T Braden Smith, 75 G Will Fries, 62 C Wesley French, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 75 G Will Fries ,11 WR Michael Pittman Jr., 81 TE Mo Alie-Cox, 1 WR Josh Downs
78 C Ryan Kelly
78 C Ryan Kelly, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann, 10 QB Gardner Minshew
56 G Quenton Nelson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann
78 C Ryan Kelly, 56 G Quenton Nelson
56 G Quenton Nelson, 31 RB Tyler Goodson
73 T Blake Freeland, 27 RB Trey Sermon
75 G Will Fries, 78 C Ryan Kelly
56 G Quenton Nelson
27 RB Trey Sermon, 73 T Blake Freeland
73 T Blake Freeland, 28 RB Jonathan Taylor, 78 C Ryan Kelly, 75 G Will Fries
10 QB Gardner Minshew, 78 C Ryan Kelly, 56 G Quenton Nelson, 79 T Bernhard Raimann
79 T Bernhard Raimann, 28 RB Jonathan Taylor
75 G Will Fries, 78 C Ryan Kelly, 10 QB Gardner Minshew
73 T Blake Freeland, 75 G Will Fries
72 T Braden Smith
78 C Ryan Kelly
56 G Quenton Nelson, 65 G Josh Sills
78 C Ryan Kelly, 56 G Quenton Nelson
81 TE Mo Alie-Cox, 75 G Will Fries, 78 C Ryan Kelly
72 T Braden Smith, 10 QB Gardner Minshew, 75 G Will Fries
| Statistical Category | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Pass Block Grade (per PFF) | 58.1 | 74.1 |
| Run Block Grade (per PFF) | 70.5 | 71.1 |
| Sacks Allowed (per PFF) | 40 | 17 |
2024 Outlook
All of the Colts' starting offensive linemen are slated to return in 2024, with Danny Pinter and Jack Anderson as the group's only free agents. They will also get rookie tackle Jake Witt back from the injured reserve list.
In the event that one of their starters can't play, this season showed that they've got solid depth players who can step in when need be. Second-string center Wesley French started three games in place of Ryan Kelly. When injuries kept tackles Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith off the field, rookie Blake Freeland stepped in.
Despite facing a gauntlet of the NFL's top pass rushers which included T.J. Watt, Brian Burns and Myles Garrett, the Colts were inspired by Freeland's performance.
"I don't care who the tackle is when you're lining up against Myles Garrett, that's not easy," general manager Chris Ballard said. "But there never was the look of doubt or despair in his eyes and that's an encouraging thing. He will get better and he will continue to grow and it will be fun to watch him this offseason."
