Tag: Sam Ehlinger

Colts’ training camp roster preview: QB Sam Ehlinger

Next up in our Colts’ training camp roster preview is quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Here’s a look back at 2023 and what’s ahead in 2024.

Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.

Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.

I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is quarterback Sam Ehlinger. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.

2023 Season Review

With Gardner Minshew as the Colts’ backup behind Anthony Richardson to start last season, Sam Ehlinger was on the roster as the team’s third quarterback. He would end up playing just three snaps in 2023, all of which came in Week 14 against Cincinnati.

Ehlinger, a 2021 sixth-round pick by the Colts out of Texas, has played 242 snaps in his career, with 221 of them coming in 2022. In those four games, Ehlinger would complete 64 of his 101 pass attempts at 5.7 yards per catch with three touchdowns to three interceptions.

2024 Season Preview

Ehlinger is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is scheduled to be a free agent next offseason. Whether or not he makes the roster again could very well depend on if the Colts want to keep two or three quarterbacks.

Last season, they would keep three, but many teams around the NFL roster only two and utilize that roster spot on a different position, where there can be more impact, particularly on special teams. With Anthony Richardson starting and Joe Flacco as the established backup, perhaps the Colts will look to go that route this season.

However, if Shane Steichen again wants to roster three, then Ehlinger will be the front-runner for that role over incoming UDFA’s Kedon Slovis and Jason Bean. Heading into his fourth NFL season, plus having a year of experience in Steichen’s system, Ehlinger will have the clear advantage over the undrafted rookies.

But, having said that, if the competition is close, in these instances teams will often opt to go with the younger, higher upside player on the back-end of their depth chart.

Colts’ Sam Ehlinger added to injury report with illness

Sam Ehlinger is a late addition to the injury report.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger was added to the Week 10 injury report due to an illness ahead of the game against the New England Patriots, the team announced Sunday.

With Gardner Minshew locked in as the starter, Ehlinger has been serving as the team’s backup quarterback ever since rookie Anthony Richardson suffered a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.

It isn’t clear how severe the illness is for Ehlinger, and he’s considered questionable for Sunday’s game in Germany.

The Colts have been rolling with two quarterbacks since Richardson went down, and the team didn’t elevate Kellen Mond to the active roster from the practice squad this week.

If Ehlinger winds up being inactive, the Colts will not have a true backup quarterback behind Minshew.

We’ll see what happens when the inactives are released before the game Sunday morning, but this could be something to keep an eye on.

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Colts PFF grades: Best, worst performers in preseason win vs Bears

Here are the best and worst PFF grades from the Colts’ preseason win over the Bears.

The Indianapolis Colts secured their first win of the preseason during their lone home matchup in a 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.

With two preseason games under their belts, the Colts are set to close out the preseason on a short week with a visit to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Here are some of the highest and lowest PPF grades for the Colts in Week 2 of the preseason, as well as a few other notable grades thrown in.

Studs and duds from Colts’ preseason win over Bears

Here are the studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason win over the Bears.

The Indianapolis Colts grabbed their first win of the preseason Saturday night in a 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Though the starters didn’t see the field after conducting some physical joint training camp practices at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield earlier in the week, we still got to see some football take place in the Circle City.

Here’s a look at the studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason win Saturday night:

Bears vs. Colts: Everything we know about Chicago’s preseason loss

The Bears are no longer undefeated in the preseason under Matt Eberflus. Here is everything we know about the loss to the Colts.

Preseason game No. 2 is in the books for the 2023 Chicago Bears as they fell to the Indianapolis Colts 24-17, ending Matt Eberflus’ perfect preseason record. Both teams got off to a rocky start as neither squad had many of their starters out on the field.

Neither team was able to do much offensively through the first quarter. The Colts finally put together a productive drive thanks to quarterback Gardner Minshew, who threw a touchdown pass to Juwan Winfree. The Bears responded with their own touchdown drive, led by undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent to tie things up at halftime.

Things remained tight in the second half but the Colts pulled away in the fourth quarter with two touchdown runs from quarterback Sam Ehlinger. A fumble by Bears fullback Robert Burns ended any comeback bid, which led to a field goal by the Colts to cement the victory.

Here is everything we know following the disappointing loss.

Colts’ 2023 training camp preview: Quarterbacks

Kicking off our Colts training camp previews with the QB position.

The Indianapolis Colts are set to return for training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield with their first practice being held July 26.

Before then, we’ll be previewing each position, giving our takes on the starters, position battles and projected depth chart entering camp under the new regime.

The quarterback position is the most important for every team. The Colts are no different, especially after using the No. 4 overall pick on the electric, but inexperienced Anthony Richardson.

You can follow along with our training camp previews as we post the links below:

Quarterback Running Back Wide Receiver Tight End
Offensive Line Defensive Line Linebacker Cornerback
Safety Special Teams

Kicking off our training camp previews will be the quarterback position:

Colts QB room building ‘a lot of good camaraderie’

Within the healthy competition, the Colts QB room has been building some strong camaraderie.

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The Indianapolis Colts have a lot of fresh, new faces in their quarterback room.

The new veteran in the quarterback room, Gardner Minshew, comes with the most experience of everyone and has been doing his best to begin to build that camaraderie.

“It’s been great man. You see it on film, anytime somebody has a big okay, the quarterbacks behind it are going crazy and I think it’s been a lot of good energy, a lot of camaraderie being built, a lot of high-fives and smiles… when times get tough, you’ve got to be able to rely on those strong relationships and it’s good to see those being built,” Minshew said during minicamp.

One of the ways that Minshew and other Colts players, including rookie Anthony Richardson, are looking to build that camaraderie is through the organized time they plan to take to work together during the summer break.

“Our whole room is pushing to be the best that we can be and in that way, serve the team the best we can,” Minshew said. “At the end of the day, whoever is out there you’ve got to support them and that’s how we’re going to win, is through whoever is out there. So trying to help in any way you can whether you’re out there or not.”

The team will be back together for the first day of training camp later this month and will continue to have further opportunities to build camaraderie in the quarterback room.

1 veteran player on roster bubble at each position for Colts

Taking a look at one Colts’ veteran on the roster bubble from each position.

The Indianapolis Colts are just weeks away from the start of training camp when the team will arrive at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.

Bringing in a rookie head coach and new coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball means there will be a lot of competition taking place throughout the roster.

Training camp and the preseason will be the best time for players to make their cases for the 53-man roster. For this exercise, we’re going to look at veteran players from each position who are on the roster bubble.

We’ll try to include as many relevant veterans as possible, ones who carry some weight but realistically may be on the fringe of the roster.

Here’s a look at one veteran player on the roster bubble from each position for the Colts:

How Anthony Richardson leans on veteran QBs for support

Anthony Richardson has a strong support system in the QB room.

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The Indianapolis Colts used the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to select quarterback Anthony Richardson for what he could be in the future.

Knowing there will be a long road of development and growing pains for a 21-year-old with just 13 collegiate starts under his belt, it’s vital for Richardson to get help and advice from several avenues as he adjusts to life in the NFL.

While Richardson likely plays a game of 20 questions with head coach Shane Steichen on a daily basis, the rookie also has learned quickly to lean on the other quarterbacks in the room. This is especially true for Gardner Minshew, who enters his third season in Steichen’s offense.

“[Minshew’s] been through it, Sam has been through it. They just help me stay calm. As a rookie, especially a QB, it’s a lot. You would see it as too much and they just help me stay sane. It’s all part of the process, we’ve all been through it and we all want to know everything but we can’t,” Richardson tole the media at minicamp.

It has been clear that Richardson is chomping at the bit to learn everything he can about succeeding at the quarterback position. The rookie has constantly asked questions, and his eagerness to learn is one of his best qualities.

And with those growing pains, Richardson knows to lean on the support system he has with Minshew and Ehlinger.

“It’s just a matter of learning. Going through those practices where it does seem too fast for me and I do make mistakes here and there, it’s like okay I made this mistake because of that and I have to fix it for the future,” Richardson said.

It can be a type of sensory overload for rookie quarterbacks entering the league. It’s a completely different style of play, especially when it comes to adjusting to the difference in spacing and alignment compared to college.

Having a quarterback like Minshew in the room helps Richardson slow the process down without suffering from an overabundance of information. Keeping it simple is vital.

“I can talk to Gardner, I can talk to Sam because he’s run similar offenses as well. Just talking to them, they help simplify it for me,” said Richardson, “Coach is going to teach it the way he does and as a QB that has played in the offense – [Minshew] might see it a little different because he’s on the field. Just getting information from Gardner and Sam is definitely helpful. It keeps me sane.”

Richardson split first-team reps with Minshew during OTAs and minicamp, and it’s likely that will be the case when the team returns for the start of training camp at the end of July.

And while the duo will be pushing each other for the starting role, it’s encouraging that the rookie has a strong support system right there alongside him in the quarterback room.

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Ranking the QBs in the AFC South entering 2023

Taking a look at ranking the QBs in the AFC South entering 2023.

The quarterback position in the AFC South has been less than desirable since Andrew Luck’s retirement, Deshaun Watson’s fallout with the Houston Texans, and Trevor Lawrence’s disastrous rookie season under Urban Meyer.

For now, the future is bright for the division’s quarterbacks entering the 2023 season. Lawrence is coming off a strong Year 2 for the Jacksonville Jaguars while the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans are hoping they have found their long-term franchise quarterback coming out of this year’s NFL draft.

This will be the first season we could see all 32 teams carry three quarterbacks on their rosters due to the new third QB rule the league has implemented because of what happened to the San Francisco 49ers in last year’s playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Let’s take a look at how the AFC South quarterbacks rank heading into the upcoming season: