Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz won’t face his former team in the Indianapolis Colts next weekend because of an injury. But his replacement in Indianapolis won’t play, either.
The Colts benched veteran quarterback Matt Ryan for backup Sam Ehlinger, coach Frank Reich announced Monday. Reich said Ryan — acquired in an offseason trade with the Atlanta Falcons, after dumping Wentz to Washington — is dealing with a grade 2 shoulder sprain, but the coach made clear to reporters the swap is not just injury related.
“Right now the move is for Sam to be the starter for the rest of the season,” Reich said.
The Colts now turn to Ehlinger, the Texas product who was a sixth-round pick in 2021. Ehlinger only recently leaped Nick Foles to claim Indianapolis’ backup job after spending the first month of the season as the Colts’ third-stringer. And now, he’ll start over Ryan — the former 2016 MVP. Foles will be Ehlinger’s backup, Reich said.
Ryan has not lived up to expectations for Indianapolis. While coaches and teammates praised the 37-year-old’s leadership, Ryan struggled mightily amid the Colts’ 3-3-1 start. Ryan leads the league with nine interceptions, two of which he threw in Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The Colts, it seems, are giving up on Ryan quicker than they did on Wentz. But Indianapolis traded the 29-year-old in March after just one season, sending the quarterback to the Commanders for multiple draft picks. Indianapolis swapped seconds with Washington and gained a pair of third-rounders — one of which can become a second-rounder if Wentz plays at least 70% of Washington’s snaps.
Wentz, though, is currently sidelined with a fractured finger. He suffered the injury in a Week 6 win over the Chicago Bears and Washington placed him on injured reserve this past weekend — forcing him to miss at least four games. Wentz isn’t eligible to return until Nov. 20’s game against the Houston Texans, at the earlier.
So next Sunday will be Taylor Heinicke versus Sam Ehlinger when Washington travels to face the Colts. Just as we all expected.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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