Colts

Colts Benching Matt Ryan, Turning To Sam Ehlinger At QB

October 24, 2022

According to Mike Chappell, the Colts are benching veteran QB Matt Ryan this week.

They will turn to young QB Sam Ehlinger against the Commanders, who brings a mobile element that neither Ryan nor veteran No. 2 Nick Foles has.

Ehlinger supplanted Foles as the backup a couple of weeks ago and has been active for the past two weeks.

Colts HC Frank Reich confirmed the news, per Zak Keefer. Ryan also has a Grade 2 shoulder strain, which will keep him out of practice this week and inactive in Week 8, per Joel Erickson. However, Reich said via Kevin Bowen this move would have been made regardless and the plan is for Ehlinger to start the rest of the season.

Before that, Ryan has really struggled with turnovers and moving the offense this season, contributing to the Colts’ rocky start.

Ehlinger, 24, was a four-year starter at Texas, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors last season and was an honorable mention in 2018-2019.

Ehlinger was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and signed a four-year deal worth $3,610,707 that also includes a $130,707 signing bonus.

In 2021, Ehlinger was active for three games.

During his four-year college career at Texas, Ehlinger completed 62.5 percent of his pass attempts for 11,436 yards, 94 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. He also rushed 554 times for 1,907 yards and 33 touchdowns in 46 career games.

Ryan, 37, is a former first-round pick of the Falcons back in 2008. He was entering the final year of his six-year, $103.75 million contract when he agreed to a new five-year, $150 million extension with the Falcons in 2018 that included $100 million guaranteed.

Ryan’s contract has been restructured multiple times in recent years for cap space, which is why his cap figures have annually been so high. He was due base salaries of $17.2 million and $21.7 million the final two years of his deal when the Falcons traded him to the Colts for a third-round pick in 2022.

In 2022, Ryan has appeared in seven games for the Colts and completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 2,008 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.