In the eyes of JMV and many alike, Quenton Nelson is the answer at left tackle for the Indianapolis Colts whenever Anthony Castonzo calls it a career.
The 2018 number six overall pick took a few snaps from Philip Rivers’ blind side against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, and the argument makes a lot of sense. Although Castonzo came back to play in Vegas, he’s still dealing with that MCL sprain and Le’Raven Clark is out for the season with a torn achilles.
So it begs the question; If Castonzo can’t go at some point during the playoffs per say, would Nelson be a go at left tackle?
JMV posed that question to Voice of the Colts Matt Taylor on his show Monday. Taylor said finding a franchise left tackle (post-Castonzo) is no easy task.
“From a scouting standpoint, it’s generally harder to find a cornerstone left tackle than it is a guard,” Taylor said. “My partner Rick Venturi feels strong about this and Nelson played a handful of snaps there yesterday. He looked really good.”
It’s one thing to just say that it would be an easy transition for Nelson, who some have already pegged as a future all-time great. MayTay told JMV that moving just a few feet to the left on the line can be a major shake up, even for the best of the best.
“We can sit here and say that it’s not that big of a deal to move from left guard to left tackle but it really is,” Taylor added. “It’s a completely different set of principles and fundamentals. But Rick (Venturi) says that Nelson is a transformational talent. So if you have a guy like that, you should be able to put him at tackle. It would be easier for him to play there in a pinch than maybe someone else when it’s so important to the health of the team.”
The good news, Castonzo played a good majority of the snaps against the Raiders. The bad news, if he goes down again, the Colts are slim at the left tackle spot with the absence of Clark.
All in all, Colts fans should keep their fingers crossed that the guys playing through some pain can make it through January. Because right now this team is clicking.
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