The Indianapolis Colts will be in wait-and-see mode for the entire week as starting quarterback Carson Wentz remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This gives rookie Sam Ehlinger the opportunity to prepare for his first career start.
Because of the new protocols the NFL adopted when it comes to positive COVID-19 tests, Wentz still has a chance to return for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. He will be activated on Saturday and then if he’s asymptomatic on Sunday, Wentz will get the start.
That said, the Colts still need to prepare for the other scenario which includes Ehlinger making his first career start.
“At this point, Sam (Ehlinger) is our starter. I’m excited for Sam. Sam really has been the two the whole year. I think Sam is made for moments like this. I have a lot of confidence in him. He’s got that special ‘it’ factor,” said Frank Reich on Wednesday. “He’s got really good quarterback skills. He’s continued to improve. I’m excited about the opportunity he has this week to prepare, and then we’ll see how it plays out as the week goes on. We’ll proceed accordingly with him as our starter and we’ll adapt and adjust as needed and as warranted.”
While Wentz has been the starter for the entire season, Ehlinger has been his backup for the majority of it. The rookie spent the first six games of the season on the injured reserve list. Once he was activated, he quickly took over the backup role. Since then, that’s the role he’s held.
Even if Wentz winds up playing on Sunday after testing out of the league’s protocol, Ehlinger is doing all he can to take advantage of the reps with the first team during practice.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” Ehlinger told reporters Wednesday. “In training camp, I was kind of just trying to stay afloat – figure out the plays, figure out what the heck I’m supposed to be doing on each play. Now that I’m comfortable in the offense, I’ve been around, I see how a practice schedule flows, I’m really able to understand the offense but also be what a quarterback is supposed to be. Have command of the huddle, have command at the line of scrimmage, make sure everybody’s in the right call.”
Not only does working with the first-team offense have its benefits, but Ehligner is also looking forward to practicing against one of the league’s best defenses.
“Then, going against the first-team defense on scout-team reps has been awesome for me as well, being able to go against one of the best defenses in the NFL, seeing their looks and competing against them,” Ehlinger said. “I’m really excited to kind of put all those things together this week, show the progress that I’ve made with the offense, then also from all the characteristics of what entails playing the quarterback position at this level.”
The Colts will be preparing for Ehlinger to start while hoping Wentz can be active on game day, and the rookie will be taking this opportunity to prove to the Colts they can count on him in a spot start situation.
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