Insider: Colts QB Sam Ehlinger will look to calm nerves, play smart and free vs. Commanders

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sam Ehlinger was working out Monday morning when he heard that Frank Reich needed to talk to him.

He'd just gotten back from Tennessee the night before, his second game this season as an active player on game day, though he'd yet to take a snap. And Reich hit him with the news:

Matt Ryan was out, and he was in.

And it wasn't temporary.

"I was just excited," Ehlinger said. "I've learned in this league that you can never be surprised. There's so much stuff that can happen on a week-to-week basis in a week-to-week league."

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The decision sent shockwaves inside and outside the Colts facility. Just seven games after the Colts traded a third-round pick to the Falcons for Matt Ryan and guaranteed his contract into next season, they've decided to move on with someone else.

That someone else is Ehlinger, a sixth-round pick out of Texas in his second season who has never attempted a pass in an NFL game. This summer, he fought to make a roster that also had Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles at quarterback and did so with a preseason in which he completed 24 of 29 passes for four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Then he earned an elevation to the active roster on game days two weeks ago.

Now, he's the starting quarterback. He'll make his debut Sunday against the Commanders, when Foles will be his backup as Ryan rehabs a Grade 2 shoulder separation. But Ryan is in his corner nonetheless.

"He's been unbelievable. He's an absolute pro," Ehlinger said of Ryan. "He's a guy who obviously wants to be on the field, so there's frustration there, but he's been nothing but supportive. He told me that he has my back regardless, no matter what happens."

Ehlinger will do his best to elevate a 3-3-1 team that's on the outside looking in on the AFC South race and needs a jolt of offense after averaging 16 points and ranking dead last in Football Outsiders' DVOA through the first seven games.

"I'm a young quarterback who has an exciting style of play," Ehlinger said.

His job is also to accentuate a passing attack that has completed 75 passes the past two weeks while simultaneously eliminating the negative plays that have crushed the Colts.

Ryan threw nine interceptions and committed 11 fumbles, the most of any quarterback. He also took a league-high 24 sacks behind an offensive line that has had four different starting combinations and has created the league's worst rushing attack by DVOA.

It creates a tight-rope act that the Colts are trying to walk with Ehlinger.

"We’ve been efficient in the pass game, but we haven’t been explosive," Reich said. "We have to improve there and then get the run game going. This isn’t, ‘Hey, Sam’s our quarterback, let’s be a run-first offense.’ We want to be balanced."

The Colts will look to utilize Ehlinger's legs with more roll-outs and bootlegs that can allow him to throw on the run. His arm is still developing, as he spent this past offseason working with renowned throwing coach Tom House to rewire his release and increase strength. It was supposed to be a two-year development plan, but the Colts have moved the timeline up to just a couple of months.

It creates a big opportunity for Ehlinger, who has up 10 starts now to show what he can do and what he's learned from Ryan and from Foles.

"With every new opportunity, there's new nerves," Ehlinger said. "Navigating through those and trying to stay in the moment is the challenge."

Contact Colts insider at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Sam Ehlinger will look to calm nerves, play free vs. Commanders