Just a few weeks after getting demoted to third on the depth chart, veteran quarterback Matt Ryan will now be promoted to the backup role for the Indianapolis Colts.
Ryan suffered a shoulder injury against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 and was ultimately benched in favor of current starter Sam Ehlinger. Under former head coach Frank Reich, it was made known that Ryan wasn’t going to play the rest of the season.
Under interim head coach Jeff Saturday, there’s still a chance Ryan gets back on the field.
“He’s here to help us. He’s had two good days of practice. I was glad to have him back. He’s been working hard. He brings a great presence to the field and to the locker room,” Saturday told reporters Friday. “Those are our guys. Nick (Foles) will be – yeah, but those are our two guys, Sam and Matt.”
Saturday then confirmed that Nick Foles will be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ryan’s performance on the field during the first seven games of his tenure with the Colts was not great. He dealt with massive issues along the offensive line and didn’t help his cause by playing with a sped-up internal clock in the pocket, which led to some poor decision making.
But Saturday made it clear that Ryan is here to help and even could get the chance to reclaim the starting role down the road.
“I just have a lot of respect for him. He’s been huge for Sam (Ehlinger) and just helping Sam along, the conversations – and Nick (Foles), honestly,” Saturday said. “Yeah. From my perspective, if I feel like whoever on our football team gives us a better chance to win, that’s where I go. I’m excited about all the guys, whoever we have up. Whichever ones are playing the best, those are the guys that I want on the field.”
We’ll see what happens when the Colts take on the Raiders, who boast the NFL’s worst passing defense according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA.
But it appears the quarterback controversy isn’t going away anytime soon.
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