Former Colts All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson is headed for minor cleanup cartilage surgery on his knee, and the Seahawks will be without him for at least a few weeks.
Seattle has not put Nelson on injured reserve, which keeps the door open for a quicker return. With two games left before the team’s bye week, the expectation is that he could be back in about three weeks rather than sitting out the minimum four-game stretch an IR move would require before activation.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Nelson was already dealing with the knee issue before the trade, tracing it back to Week 7 on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, when he was still with the Colts. The injury then got worse during Seattle’s 34-17 Monday Night home loss to the Chicago Bears.
That’s a tough break for a Seahawks team that is trying to stay in the playoff hunt, especially after Nelson looked exactly like the elite, plug-and-play left guard Seattle hoped it was getting. In his debut, he was as advertised and didn’t appear to miss a beat.
The timing is also notable because it appears both the Colts and Seahawks were aware of the knee condition, likely during the physical process. At the same time, the problem clearly worsened on Monday night.
It’s possible that interim GM Ed Dodds had that in mind when he moved Nelson before the trade deadline, with the thought that the knee issue could eventually cost the perennial All-Pro and pending NFL free agent games later in 2026. That’s speculation for now, but it’s part of the picture.
For his career, Nelson has been remarkably durable. He has missed just four starts, all of them coming in 2021 with the Colts.
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