Colts' first-year starter named X-factor by ESPN for 2025 season
A first-year starter for the Colts was selected as Ben Solak’s X-factor for Indianapolis during the 2025 NFL season.
As Solak described, an X-factor can have a “disproportionate amount of leverage” when it comes to impacting the outcome of games for their teams. And while every team has more than one X-factor, Solak attempted to identify the most impactful.
The caveat, as Solak went through each team’s 53-man roster, is that rookies, quarterbacks, and coaches were not a part of this equation.
So, with that said, who does Solak believe is the Colts’ X-factor? Center Tanor Bortolini.
“Bortolini looked pretty solid, but a new center is a new center — especially important when the quarterback is new, as well,” Solak wrote. “When a young center takes the helm with a quarterback new to the system, as Week 1 starter Daniel Jones is, it’s easy for assignments to get missed in pass protection — and the running game can suffer the same errors.”
When called upon to fill in as a rookie, Bortolini very much held his own, helping to give the Colts the confidence to move on from Ryan Kelly this offseason.
PFF’s metrics, Bortolini ranked 15th in pass-blocking efficiency metric and was 22nd out of 40 centers in run-blocking grade.
However, as Solak notes, he’s still an inexperienced player overall, and with that comes some unknowns.
A lot is put on the plate of the center position. This player is responsible for pre-snap protection calls, adjustments, and making sure everyone is on the same page from a blocking responsibility standpoint. In addition to that, a lot is asked of the center in the run game within Shane Steichen’s offense.
Bortolini was in a competition this summer with veteran Danny Pinter for the starting center job and seemed to win the job fairly convincingly. Solak was also impressed with what Bortolini put on tape.
“I liked what I saw on Bortolini’s film, and his movement skills will shine on screens and perimeter runs,” Solak wrote. “How high is his ceiling as an anchor in pass protection and pre-snap processor? It remains to be seen.”
Naturally, all eyes are on Daniel Jones and the quarterback position, but consistent success for the Colts offense begins with the play of the offensive line. This unit must provide a steady run game to lean on and time in the pocket for Jones–and at the middle of all that will be Bortolini.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL season: Colts’ Tanor Bortolini named team’s X-factor
