The Indianapolis Colts will not be changing quarterbacks for the upcoming Week 8 game because of Matt Ryan’s damaged shoulder. After suffering a defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts took the unexpected decision on Monday to announce that Ryan would not be starting the following week.
The team has decided to replace him with Sam Ehlinger at quarterback. The news that Ryan had been demoted was reported initially by Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 in Indianapolis.
According to Zak Keefer of The Athletic, Ryan has a Grade 2 shoulder separation and will not be practicing this week. Colts head coach Frank Reich claimed that the team would have switched to Ehlinger regardless, and that he would start moving forward.
The Colts’ decision to choose Ryan at quarterback was their most recent attempt to find success in the post-Andrew Luck era. They acquired the veteran quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons in a deal.
In addition to his 11 lost fumbles, Ryan has nine interceptions, the most in the NFL. The Colts’ record is at 3-3-2 after a loss to the Titans on Sunday, which was primarily due to his costly pick-six.
This week, against the Washington Commanders, Reich has decided to start Ehlinger at quarterback, with Nick Foles serving as the backup. In part due to his inexperience, Ehlinger’s transfer to the new position comes as a shock to him.
He has only played in three games for the NFL and has never attempted a pass during a regular season game. Ehlinger was selected in the sixth round (2021) of the draught after coming from Texas.
Ehlinger will take over at quarterback for a player who threw 61,743 yards in 229 games. For the entirety of his NFL career, Ryan has played in the starting lineup.
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Dissatisfied with the Falcons’ pursuit of Deshaun Watson throughout the offseason, Matt Ryan publicly expressed his disapproval, which ultimately led to a trade with the Colts. In order to acquire him, Indianapolis gave up a third-round draught pick.
Ryan has thrown too many interceptions despite having 389 yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. One of those scores came with 17 seconds remaining. Although the first-place Titans won the season series, the 3-3-1 Colts are still in the playoff hunt.
According to the Indianapolis Star, the Colts have guaranteed $12 million of Ryan’s contract for 2023. Thus cutting him would result in an $18 million cap hit but savings of $17.2 million.
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The events of Monday suggest that the Colts will be replacing Ryan with another quarterback in 2023, as the team is expected to release the 37-year-old before the start of the next season. It is possible that Ehlinger is the solution.
There is no better time than early in the season to find out than now, and the Colts want to do just that.
Frank Reich: Matt Ryan with grade-2 sprain to right shoulder.
Move to Ehlinger would have occurred anyway.
Plan is for Sam to start rest of season— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) October 24, 2022
