Getty Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich saw one of his young quarterbacks play very well during the NFL preseason.
The Indianapolis Colts had decisions to make at wide receiver and left tackle entering training camp. They also had other position battles on offense such as tight end and backup offensive line roles.
But no one really expected the Colts to face a decision at quarterback before final cutdown day. That, though, is exactly what Indianapolis now has.
Not that that is a bad thing. The Colts must decide whether to keep three signal callers because in addition to offseason acquisitions Matt Ryan and Nick Foles, second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger played extremely well during the preseason.
He played so well, NFL analyst Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report wrote that the Colts suddenly have “an embarrassment of riches at quarterback.”
“The offseason acquisitions of veterans Matt Ryan and Nick Foles speak for themselves,” Sobleski wrote. “Ryan is a proven starter capable of leading an entire franchise, while Foles should be considered one of the game’s premier backup options.
“Sam Ehlinger worked himself into the wild card spot.”
With Ehlinger now in the “wild card spot,” Sobleski also claimed that the Colts have “a serious decision to make with Ehlinger.” And as it typical goes with serious decisions, it’s worth Indianapolis exploring all its options with the 23-year-old quarterback, including a possible trade before 4 pm ET on August 30.
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Ehlinger’s Strong Preseason
Colts head coach Frank Reich probably said it best when he simply stated that “it’s hard to imagine having a better preseason” than what Ehlinger experienced.
He went 24-for-29 with 289 passing yards and 4 touchdowns with zero interceptions in three games. Ehlinger also had 71 rushing yards, including a 45-yard touchdown run on August 27.
“Sam (Ehlinger) has had a phenomenal preseason,” Reich told reporters on August 28. “Really excited about him and his continued development.”
Sobleski called Ehlinger’s accuracy and increased arm strength “eye-popping.” His improvement came from working on his throwing mechanics with quarterback whisperer Tom House this offseason.
The second-year quarterback improved so much, he has the Colts seemingly contemplating keeping three signal callers on the 53-man roster. That’s a tough decision to make even for members of the media simply trying to project Indianapolis’ final depth chart.
“I’ve gone back and forth on this [whether Ehlinger will be on the roster]. I still think the Colts are in a good enough health situation to stash Ehlinger on the 53-man roster as their third quarterback,” Colts content producer and radio host Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis wrote. “When things quiet down on the roster cut front, maybe that’s when you can sneak Ehlinger over to the practice squad.”
Trade Interest for Ehlinger?
If the Colts elect not to keep three quarterbacks and don’t want to risk losing Ehlinger through waivers, the last option to consider is a trade. That can be tricky around cutdown day because teams know that players who are trade candidates are likely to be available on the waiver wire in the coming days.
But Ehlinger played so well, Sobleski argued that the Colts should at least shop the quarterback.
“At bare minimum, Ehlinger can be a quality long-term backup. In the right situation, the 23-year-old may even emerge as a starting option,” Sobleski wrote. “Teams such as the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks still have significant question marks at quarterback.
“The Colts could recoup their previous draft pick with added interest by gauging the trade market.”
Indianapolis drafted Ehlinger in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, so it won’t take too much for the Colts to “earn that interest” on their investment in the former Texas quarterback.
Even so, it might be difficult to part with a signal caller who played as well as Ehlinger did this preseason. Neither Ryan nor Foles is signed beyond the 2023 season.
Retaining Ehlinger on the active roster in the hopes of him continuing to develop and competing for a top two quarterback role by 2024 may be too intriguing of an option for the Colts to pass up.