Matt Ryan Benching Solidifies Colts as NFL's Most QB-Needy Franchise

The Indianapolis Colts have most of the pieces in place to be a championship-caliber team, but their glaring lack of a franchise quarterback is holding them back from truly contending.

Ever since Andrew Luck shockingly retired following the 2018 campaign, the Colts have been trying shortcuts to unearth a viable replacement by bringing in well-worn veterans.

The team gave Jacoby Brissett an unsuccessful crack at starting in 2019 and even made the playoffs with Philip Rivers at the helm in 2020 before the Los Angeles Chargers legend hung up his cleats after a Wild Card Round loss.

The club was desperate in wake of that decision, eventually coughing up a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 first-rounder for Carson Wentz after he lost his starting gig with the Philadelphia Eagles.

While 2021 wasn’t a complete disaster, Wentz’ inability to step up when the team needed him most ultimately cost the Colts a postseason berth. Indianapolis came up a game short despite boasting an offense led by rushing champion Jonathan Taylor and a tough defense that gave up only 21.5 points per game.

The Colts realized they weren’t much more than a fringe playoff contender at best with Wentz at the helm and jettisoned him to the Washington Commanders. While the organization recouped some draft capital for the struggling quarterback, it was once again left without a viable starter.

Rather than planning to use a Day 2 pick on a quarterback prospect like Malik Willis, the Colts instead opted to go back to the well and bring in another shaky veteran option.

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Indianapolis negotiated a deal to bring Matt Ryan over from the Atlanta Falcons, giving up a third-round selection to get the 37-year-old in mid-March.

Considering the Falcons were willing to take a late Day 2 pick for the greatest quarterback in their franchise’s history—a player who had started for them for 14 consecutive years—there should have been some doubts about how much Ryan had left in the tank.

With the draft coming and going following the Ryan trade and Indianapolis once again punting on the opportunity to take a signal-caller early—its only quarterback selections since Luck announced his retirement have been Jacob Eason (No. 122 in 2020) and Sam Ehlinger (No. 218 in 2021)—it was obvious that the Colts were, once again, leaning on a declining veteran QB.

That decision, once again, has failed to pan out. Ryan has fared poorly for the Colts this season despite a semi-respectable 3-3-1 record heading into Week 8.

He has completed 68.3 percent of his passing attempts but is averaging just 6.8 yards per throw (his worst mark since 2010) and has nine touchdowns in seven starts. He has been responsible for a league-worst nine interceptions and has taken a concerning 24 sacks.

The Colts offense has gone from inconsistent under Wentz to a full-blown disaster with Ryan. The team managed to score 26.5 points per game last year—tying for the ninth-best mark in the league—but is mustering a meager 16.1 points per game in 2022, a mark only a pair of offensively challenged squads (the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers) can’t top.

Things hit a new low on Sunday when the Colts sputtered to a 19-10 defeat against the rival Tennessee Titans, who took a clear lead in the AFC South with the victory. Ryan was abysmal in the contest, completing 33 of 44 passes for 243 yards and a score while throwing a pair of costly interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

The Colts did some soul-searching following the brutal defeat and ultimately decided to bench Ryan and forge ahead with Ehlinger as the new starter. While the move corresponded with a shoulder injury Ryan suffered in the contest, head coach Frank Reich made it clear that Ehlinger will remain the QB1 for the remainder of the campaign.

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While Reich praised Ehlinger’s development—he was only recently promoted to the primary backup job, sending veteran Nick Foles down to the No. 3 spot—it will be surprising if Indy isn’t seeking a starter again come the offseason.

The Colts will have a few options to fill that void.

They could, once again, go back to the well and try to trade for a veteran who has fallen out of favor. It’s doubtful they’ll make that same mistake for a third straight year, but there’s a chance they go down that road given their recent history.

The team could dip into the free-agency pool, but the choices there are limited. Tom Brady is the gem of the 2023 class, but it’s far from guaranteed the future Hall of Famer will even play next year. It’s even less likely he would want to go to Indianapolis after the season Ryan has had.

The Colts could give Dallas Cowboys backup Cooper Rush a chance as a starter after his excellent month of filling in for an injured Dak Prescott. Those types of performances rarely translate to full-time success, though. For every Kirk Cousins-type success story, there’s a few Brock Osweilers or Matt Flynns getting paid and never performing at a high level again.

Considering only four quarterbacks—Peyton Manning, Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford—since the 2010 season have started a Super Bowl with a team that didn’t draft them, these free-agent moves rarely lead to success.

Perhaps the front office will stop trying to find a shortcut to sustained success and finally consider the draft as its most realistic option for getting a true franchise talent. If any team should understand the value of drafting the position, it's the Colts, as Manning and Luck are their last two first-round quarterbacks.

General manager Chris Ballard deserves much of the blame for ignoring the successful path his predecessors took to find quarterbacks. Since taking the reins ahead of the 2017 campaign, Ballard has overseen just one playoff win while churning through what will soon be nine starting quarterbacks when Ehlinger takes the field in Week 9.

That instability at the most crucial position is only hurting this franchise. Had Ballard worked on drafting a replacement to develop and lead the offense following Luck's retirement, he could have found someone special by now.

Even if Indy didn't wish to trade the farm to move up and get a top prospect over the last few years, a talent like Jalen Hurts was just sitting there waiting to be selected while Ballard passed on him twice during the second round of the 2020 draft.

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As well regarded as Ehlinger is in some circles—the Colts made an uncharacteristic decision to retain three quarterbacks on the active roster this year as they likely believed he would have been claimed off waivers if he were sent to the practice squad—the second-year signal-caller out of Texas probably isn’t going to win many games.

The Colts are technically in the playoff hunt now, but they decided to take a path that will likely lead to a high draft pick in April.

The team will have a bevy of targets if it ends up with an early first-round pick.

Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud is the top-rated quarterback on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s big board this year, followed closely by Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis. All three could come off the board inside the top 10, a silver lining to what will likely be a down year in Indianapolis.

While the franchise can afford one poor season if it results in a prized quarterback prospect, the window for this roster to contend won’t stay open forever. These Colts are too talented on both sides of the ball to continue missing the playoffs and have to land their quarterback of the future in the draft to right the ship.