The Colts are placing their starting center Ryan Kelly on injured reserve with a calf injury.
The four-time Pro Bowler has been dealing with a calf issue all season, and despite playing every snap in Sunday night’s loss, will miss at least the next four games. Kelly joins Will Fries as the second Colts’ starting offensive lineman to go on IR.
For Kelly, it’s a tough pill to swallow. The 31-year-old has spent all nine seasons of his career in Indianapolis, where he’s been the starter since the day he was drafted. Now, in a contract year where he hasn’t looked his best, his absence from the lineup will almost certainly affect extension talks this offseason.
Depending on the severity of his ailment, the possibility exists that Kelly has played his last snap in Indy. In his time with the Colts, Kelly has accrued numerous accolades, including a second team All-Pro selection in 2020.
But lucky for him, unlike Fries, initial indications point to Kelly’s issue not being season-ending. However, he’ll have to be wary of the next man up.
The Colts will turn to rookie fourth-round pick Tanor Bortolini, who’s already started a game this season, and was impressive. Now, he’ll get an extended trial run in Shane Steichen and Jim Bob Cooter’s offense, with a chance to prove that he is the long-term answer at the center position.
Per Pro Football Focus, Bortolini is graded as the top pass-block grade amongst rookie offensive linemen (77.3) and is the sixth-best rookie offensive lineman (66.3) across all positions.
If he can make a mark as the next man up over the next four weeks, Bortolini could force general manager Chris Ballard into making a difficult decision on who he wants to anchor the offensive line going into the future.
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