The Vikings may desire some help along the offensive line. If so, does it make sense to see what the Indianapolis Colts are willing to do?
The 2025 offseason saw former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah steal C Ryan Kelly and RG Will Fries away from Indiana. Doing so gave the trenches a nice infusion of veteran talent from what has long been one of the most impressive spots for developing o-line talent. Does current GM Nolan Teasley go back to the Colts for some more help up front? The in-house Colts connection is worth remembering as a small detail that may still matter.
The Vikings & The Colts’ OL Talent
Left guard Quenton Nelson is among the great guards in NFL history. Could he be the second coming of Steve Hutchinson in Minnesota?
Losing Donovan Jackson means not having the high-upside LG1 for the remainder of 2026. Joe Huber has been performing admirably in the initial moments of his time as the Vikings’ new starter at left guard. Quite possibly, there will be a need for Michael Jurgens at some point, as well. Otherwise, the depth would involve kicking OTs Ryan Van Demark of Caleb Tiernan inside if there needed to be more guard help.
If the front office deems the current arrangement insufficient, then Nelson is the dream add.
There’s been no shortage of online speculation about Nelson getting added to the Vikings’ roster. Such is life for a 5-0 Vikings team that lost its starter at LG.
Consider what Will Ragatz of Bring Me the News had to say: “This would be a monster move for the Vikings. Nelson has been arguably the best guard in football since he was drafted sixth overall by the Colts in 2018. He’s played eight full seasons and has made eight Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams. Now 30 years old, he’s been as dominant as ever so far in 2026.”
More from Ragatz: “Because Nelson is in the final year of his deal, he might not actually cost as much as his resume would suggest. Joe Thuney was traded to the Bears for a fourth-round pick two years ago, when he was entering the final year of his contract. Could the Vikings get Nelson for a third-rounder? From there, they could either extend him — which would mean moving on from Will Fries next year and moving either Nelson or Jackson to RG — or get a third-round comp pick in 2028 if he leaves in free agency.”
Part of the appeal of Nelson is that he’s got a built-in relationship with Mr. Fries. They don’t work in tandem in the same way that Fries needs to work alongside right tackle Brian O’Neill, but the pair of guards have a working relationship. Fries could be a coach in shoulder pads, getting Nelson up to speed by helping to translate Minnesota’s offense into a language that Nelson understands.
To a certain extent, the Colts connection to the Vikings shouldn’t be overstated. Gone is Adofo-Mensah and Ryan Grigson, a high-ranking former front office executive who had been the Indianapolis GM.
But then there’s still another reality: Indianapolis has an o-line tree where they grow great blockers. Quenton Nelson is an elite, Hall of Fame talent who plays at a position that lost its starter. Maybe Minnesota sees if the team is open for business, especially due to already signalling a desire to shake things up with the firing of Chris Ballard.
Kickoff between the Vikings and Colts is set for 12:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, October 25th.