Inside quarterback Sam Ehlinger's 'unique' fight to stay on Colts' 53-man roster

INDIANAPOLIS — Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger finds himself in an odd spot.

Familiar.

But a little bit odd, nonetheless. Ehlinger is in a battle for a spot on the 53-man roster , but his primary battle is against the entire Indianapolis roster, rather than any direct competition at the quarterback position.

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

Colts roster: Projecting the Colts' 53-man roster with a critical week looming in Cincy

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

“Yeah, it’s unique,” Ehlinger said. “It feels unique, but I think it’s one of those things where if you start thinking about all the different factors that play into it, you can drive yourself crazy.”

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

NFL teams can now elevate a third quarterback from the practice squad to serve as the team’s emergency quarterback, entering the game only if the top two quarterbacks are knocked by injury or ejection. 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 wouldn't say if he plans to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster yet.

“I mean, I think it’s going to come down at the end of the roster and how we’re looking at it, and the pieces and the puzzle that we’re going to try to put together,” Steichen said. “We’ll go from there. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Ehlinger has spent almost his entire NFL career living in this kind of uncertainty, trying to handle all of the twists and turns that have come with it.

Drafted in the sixth round in 2021 because of his impeccable intangibles, Ehlinger suddenly found himself taking first-team reps in training camp, battling with Jacob Eason for the backup role after starting quarterback Carson Wentz was forced to undergo surgery on his foot.

Ehlinger didn’t end up throwing a regular season pass as a rookie, playing 18 snaps in mop-up duty instead. He thought he wouldn’t play in his second season, either. Not after the Colts traded for Matt Ryan and signed Nick Foles.

But he was thrust into action halfway through the season. Ehlinger was forced into the role of potential savior by ownership, even though the quarterback had spoken openly in training camp about the need to develop. Ehlinger made two starts, got thrown back to the No. 3 role after a coaching change, then back into the starting lineup at the end of the regular season. Working through whiplash, Ehlinger completed 63.4% of his throws, posted a 76.1 quarterback rating and lost all three starts, although there were times he looked like he belonged in the NFL as a backup.

The coaching change to Steichen and the team’s decision to draft Richardson threw Ehlinger back into the No. 3 role in his third season in Indianapolis.

Through all of it, Ehlinger has been a model teammate.

“Sam is a great leader in that room,” Steichen said. “Very smart football player, knows where to go with the football. He makes plays when he gets out there. He runs around and makes plays and if something’s not there, you can see, he scrambles.”

Ehlinger has spent the entire time trying to improve his abilities as a thrower to get to the point where he can be a team’s No. 2 quarterback. For years, he’s worked with legendary throwing coach Tom House, refining his mechanics and motion.

The third-year quarterback has gotten better.

“I’m not there yet, and maybe it’s a career-long journey, but I’m glad that you can see it, because I can feel it,” Ehlinger said. “I feel like it’s got a little bit more velocity, more juices, and there’s (still) a lot of the things that I’ve got to clean up. … I feel like there’s a lot of untapped mechanical efficiencies I can still tap into.”

Ehlinger has taken all of the No. 3 snaps at quarterback in training camp, and although he’s struggled with interceptions at times, he’s also happy with the way he’s played this August.

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

“Definitely feel like I’m throwing the ball better and getting the ball out of my hand quicker, seeing the game,” Ehlinger said. “I think it’s hard to develop when you’re not getting a ton of reps, and I feel like now we’re getting to the point where I’ve banked a good amount of reps over the years. Feel like we’re making strides for sure.”

But he hasn’t gotten to the point where the Colts are comfortable handing him the No. 2 job.

Indianapolis reacted to the loss of Gardner Minshew this offseason by signing Flacco to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million and up to $8.2 million overall, the kind of investment that signals the team’s belief in the 39-year-old’s ability to back up Richardson.

If there was any doubt about that, the Colts did not ask Flacco to play in Saturday night’s preseason game, holding the veteran out with the rest of the players who’ve already locked up roster spots.

Ehlinger started, directed a touchdown drive and nearly picked up a third-and-long with a gutsy 10-yard run, putting his body on the line.

“He battles, he scratches, he claws,” Steichen said. “Love everything about Sam.”

Will that be enough to keep Ehlinger in Indianapolis for another season?

The hard answer is it likely comes down to the decisions the Colts have to make at other spots on the roster.

All Ehlinger can do is try to keep improving and let the chips fall where they may.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Inside quarterback Sam Ehlinger's 'unique' fight to stay on Colts' 53-man roster