Matt Ryan has an injured shoulder, but that’s not why the Indianapolis Colts are changing quarterbacks in Week 8.
The Colts made a surprise announcement Monday that Ryan would not be starting after a loss to the Tennessee Titans. He was benched and the team will turn to Sam Ehlinger as quarterback.
Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 in Indianapolis first reported that Ryan had been benched. Zak Keefer from The Athletic reported that Ryan had a grade 2 shoulder separation and will not be training this week. But Colts coach Frank Reich said the move to Ehlinger would have happened anyway and the plan is for him to start the rest of the season.
Ryan was the Colts’ last attempt to untie the quarterback in the post-Andrew Luck era. They traded for the longtime Atlanta Falcons quarterback during the offseason. Ryan leads the NFL with nine interceptions and also with 11 fumbles. He threw a costly pick-six against the Titans on Sunday in a loss that dropped the Colts to 3-3-1.
Ehlinger will start against the Washington Commanders this week, with Nick Foles serving as backup, according to Reich.
The move to Ehlinger is also a shock because he lacks experience. He has only appeared in three NFL games and has never thrown a pass in the regular season. Ehlinger was a sixth-round pick from Texas in the 2021 draft.
Ehlinger will replace a quarterback with 61,743 yards in 229 career games. Ryan has started every NFL game he has appeared in. When the Falcons pursued Deshaun Watson in the offseason, Ryan voiced his displeasure and it led to a trade with the Colts. Indianapolis traded a third-round pick for him.
Ryan turned it around too much despite having 389 yards and three touchdowns in Week 6, one of which came with 17 seconds left to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts are not eliminated from the playoff race 3-3-1, despite being defeated 4-2 by the first-seeded Titans in the season series.
The story goes on
According to the Indianapolis Star, the Colts guaranteed $12 million of Ryan’s 2023 contract and it would be a $18 million cap hit to release him, though with a $17.2 million savings to make up for it . Based on Monday’s news, it seems likely the Colts will pull away from Ryan, 37, sometime before next season and try another quarterback in 2023. Maybe Ehlinger will be the answer in the end.
As this season begins, the Colts are ready to find out.
Matt Ryan was benched by the Indianapolis Colts after their Week 7 loss to the Titans. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)