Matt Ryan‘s Colts career could be over. The former Falcons quarterback was benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger, but not because of his injured shoulder. The plan moving forward, according to Indy beat reporters, is to start the Texas product for the rest of the season.
Per source, Colts benching Matt Ryan, turning to Sam Ehlinger. Sam makes 1st career start Sunday vs. Washington. Nick Foles will be No. 2.
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) October 24, 2022
To clarify: the Colts are making the switch at QB regardless of Matt Ryan's injury. The plan, as of now, is for Sam Ehlinger to be the starting quarterback the rest of the season.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) October 24, 2022
It’s pretty sad to see Ryan whither away like this. For 14 seasons, the stalwart led the Falcons as the team’s signal caller, delivering the city multiple Pro Bowls and playoff appearances.
This past offseason, the Falcons were clearly rebuilding and needed to shed any bloated contracts inherited from the former regime. Terry Fontenot did so by trading Ryan to the Colts for a third-rounder. At the time, it seemed like Indy fleeced Atlanta; however, once again, the Falcons came out ahead, similarly to the Julio Jones trade with the Titans.
Before the season, it was thought that Ryan would be the missing piece to a Super Bowl-ready roster, but the experiment is over after just seven games. The veteran led the Colts to a 3-3-1 record with a pretty horrific offensive line. In what could be the final stat line of his career, Ryan has posted over 2,000 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions on 68.4% passing. He’s thrown more interceptions than anyone this season and has been sacked (24 times) more than any other quarterback too.
The Falcons ended up spending the third-rounder on DeAngelo Malone, who ironically notched his first career sack this past week to go along with three quarterback hurries. The Falcons and Terry Fontenot came out ahead on this transaction, but it’s still sad to see for Matt Ryan.
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Photographer: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire
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