Ex-Texas football QB Sam Ehlinger could be Colts Week 1 starter
Something that seemed like an improbability at best a few months ago could now becoming a reality for the former Texas football senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger. The sixth-round pick (218th overall) of the Indianapolis Colts and head coach Frank Reich in the 2021 NFL Draft could get his shot to be a starting quarterback at the next level before anyone really thought possible.
What led to this possibility of Ehlinger getting a shot to start for the Colts at some point during the preseason, or early in the regular season, was the foot injury to the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Ehlinger now looks to be in a quarterback competition in camp with the Colts with the former Georgia Bulldogs and Washington Huskies signal-caller Jacob Eason for first-team reps.
According to an ESPN report from Aug. 10, the Colts are now splitting first-team reps in camp between Eason and Ehlinger. With Wentz expected to miss all of the preseason (at the very least) following this foot injury and subsequent surgery, Ehlinger and Eason will definitely both get their shot in the spotlight during the preseason slate this month.
Neither Eason nor Ehlinger has any stats worth speaking of from the regular season or the playoffs in the NFL. Ehlinger obviously doesn’t since he was just drafted by the Colts a few months back. But Eason didn’t get any significant in-game reps last season. He was the Colts fourth-round pick (122nd overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Former Texas football star QB Sam Ehlinger could have a shot to start with the Colts very soon
Ehlinger, Eason, and the Colts are just a few days away from the start of the preseason slate. The Colts open up a three-game preseason slate on Aug. 15 against the Carolina Panthers out of the NFC South.
That will be a good opportunity for Ehlinger to get to face some familiar opposition in former Baylor Bears head coach Matt Rhule (now the Panthers head coach) and ex-LSU Tigers offensive coordinator Joe Brady (now an OC with the Panthers).
Namely, it’s Rhule and former Baylor defensive coordinator (now the Panthers DC) Phil Snow that Ehlinger should be familiar with from his four years playing at Texas.
Ehlinger could be thrown into the fire right away if Wentz’s injury takes long to heal. If Ehlinger shows out better than Eason during the preseason, then there’s a good chance we could see him start Week 1 for the Colts against the Seattle Seahawks.
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The Colts are set to take on the Panthers at home at Lucas Oil Stadium on Aug. 15, with kick-off time set for 1 p.m. CT in Indianapolis, IN. That is one of three games for the Colts during the preseason. The other two opponents are the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.