Colts Sam Ehlinger's "unique" fight to stay on the 53-man roster

INDIANAPOLIS – Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger finds himself in a strange situation.

Trusted.

But still, it's a little odd. Ehlinger is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, but his main battle is against the entire Indianapolis roster, not against direct competition at the quarterback position.

Anthony Richardson is the starter. Joe Flacco is the backup. Ehlinger hasn't been directly challenged in his role as the team's No. 3 this preseason; he's played all of those snaps while undrafted rookies Jason Bean and Kedon Slovis have played exclusively in developmental roles.

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Ehlinger is simply trying to convince the Colts that they should keep a third quarterback on the 53-man roster.

“Yes, it's unique,” Ehlinger said. “It feels unique, but I think it's one of those things that can drive you crazy when you start thinking about all the different factors that come into play.”

A key factor in this decision was changed by the NFL in the offseason.

NFL teams can now designate a third quarterback from the practice squad as the team's emergency quarterback, who will only come into play if the top two quarterbacks are out due to injury or demobilization. A year ago, the emergency quarterback had to be part of the 53-man roster.

All it took was one vote and the rule that worked in Ehlinger's favor last season is now working against him.

Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen declined to say whether he plans to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

“I mean, I think it's going to come down to the bottom of the list and how we look at it and what pieces and what puzzle we want to put together,” Steichen said. “We'll go from there. We'll see how it plays out.”

Ehlinger has spent nearly his entire NFL career in this kind of uncertainty, trying to navigate all the twists and turns it has brought.

Drafted in the sixth round in 2021 due to his impeccable intangibles, Ehlinger suddenly found himself on the first-team roster during training camp, battling with Jacob Eason for the backup position after starting quarterback Carson Wentz had to undergo foot surgery.

Ehlinger didn't throw a regular season pass as a rookie, instead playing 18 snaps as a cleanup guard. He also thought he wouldn't play in his second season. Not after the Colts traded for Matt Ryan and signed Nick Foles.

But he was thrust into the game midway through the season. Ehlinger was thrust into the role of potential savior by ownership, even though the quarterback had been open in training camp about the need for his development. Ehlinger started twice, was bumped back to the No. 3 position after a coaching change, and returned to the starting lineup at the end of the regular season. Despite battling whiplash, Ehlinger completed 63.4% of his throws, posted a 76.1 quarterback rating, and lost all three starts, although there were times when it looked like he belonged in the NFL as a backup.

With the coaching change to Steichen and the team's decision to bring Richardson into the squad, they dropped Ehlinger back to the No. 3 position in his third season in Indianapolis.

During all this time, Ehlinger was an exemplary teammate.

“Sam is a great leader in that room,” Steichen said. “A very smart football player who knows where to go with the football. He makes plays when he's out there. He runs around and makes plays, and if something's not right, he runs.”

Ehlinger has spent all that time honing his throwing skills to get to the point where he can be a team's No. 2 quarterback. He spent years working with legendary throwing coach Tom House, refining his technique and movement.

The third-year quarterback has gotten better.

“I'm not there yet, and maybe it's a journey that will take my whole life, but I'm glad you can see it, because I can feel it,” Ehlinger said. “I feel like it's got a little bit more speed, more juice, and there's (still) a lot of things I need to clean up. … I feel like there's still a lot of untapped mechanical efficiencies that I can take advantage of.”

Ehlinger has taken all the snaps as the No. 3 quarterback in training camp, and although he has struggled with interceptions at times, he is pleased with how he has played this August.

The fourth-year quarterback has completed 9 of 13 throws in preseason games, averaging an impressive 9.1 yards per attempt and averaging 8.3 yards per carry on three attempts in the running game.

“I definitely feel like I'm throwing the ball better and getting it out of my hands quicker when I see the game,” Ehlinger said. “I think it's hard to progress when you don't get a lot of reps, and I feel like we're at the point now where I've gotten a good amount of reps over the years. I feel like we're definitely making progress.”

But he is not yet at the point where the Colts would happily give him the No. 2 job.

Indianapolis responded to the loss of Gardner Minshew in the offseason by signing Flacco to a one-year, $4.5 million deal (up to $8.2 million total), a type of investment that shows the team believes in the 39-year-old's ability to back up Richardson.

Colts Sam Ehlinger's “unique” fight to stay on the 53-man roster

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Colts Sam Ehlinger's “unique” fight to stay on the 53-man roster

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