Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly (78) talks with Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson (56) on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY

Colts' Offensive Line Earns Top-3 Spot in New Rankings

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Sean Ackerman | Last updated Jul 5, 2024 11:08 AM ET

The Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for the 2024 NFL season with one of the best offensive lines in the entire league.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor will combine for one of the most explosive backfields in football, but big plays will only happen if the O-Line can give them some elite protection.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently released their offensive line rankings heading into the upcoming season. The Colts' group, led by star guard Quenton Nelson, placed third place in the list. Indy has veterans at tackle, guard, and center to protect their second-year quarterback from another injury.

The Top-10 AFC Offensive Lines, per @PFF_Zoltan pic.twitter.com/QwI7XmqEN9
— PFF (@PFF) July 2, 2024

The Colts' offensive tackle duo is arguably the best in the league, as left tackle Bernhard Raimann and right tackle Braden Smith each finished among the seven highest-graded offensive tackles in 2023. Veteran Ryan Kelly put together the best season of his career as the highest-graded center in pass protection.Zoltán Buday, PFF

Limiting hits on passing plays will be of the upmost importance as the Colts look to avoid taking another ride around a quarterback carousel that's plagued them for the last 5 years. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann has blossomed into one of the best tackles in the league and should continue his growth as a blind-side pass protector.

#Colts 2nd year LT Bernhard Raimann is having a breakout season.

Raimann is 1 of 8 Left Tackles leaguewide who has logged 300+ pass-blocking snaps and has a 80+ pass block grade via PFF. He also has the 4th-best run block grade (72.1) among them and has only committed 1 penalty.
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) November 13, 2023

All five starters on the line are set to return for the 2024 season. Continuity helps lead to better chemistry up front, and the Colts are lucky to have another year of high-level play.

On top of returning players, general manager Chris Ballard opted to look at the future picture and drafted rookie tackle Matt Goncalves to help strengthen the team's depth. Because he's able to play on both sides of the line, Goncalves brings flexibility as a backup that could come in handy in case of any unfortunate injuries.

Similar to Carter Warren a year ago, @Pitt_FB OL Matt Goncalves (@MattGoncalves77) is going a bit under the radar as he recovered from an injury in-season.

Goncalves’s film at Pitt projects to a potential OT or OG starting spot in the NFL (teams differ on his NFL projection,… pic.twitter.com/mrq20OtC3S
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) April 5, 2024

The Colts will aim to continue their domination of the trenches and establish ground superiority early in games. This playstyle opens up the play-action pass that could be lethal for Richardson & Co. and might allow for big play opportunities.

Indy's line will face it's first test in Week 1 against the Houston Texans on September 8th.

This article first appeared on Indianapolis Colts on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: