The Colts will be deploying Matt Ryan, who will turn 37 in two days, under center in 2022 (and perhaps for several years beyond that). But as Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star writes, the club remains open to adding a veteran passer.
At the Colts’ rookie minicamp on Friday, head coach Frank Reich was asked specifically about the possibility of signing Nick Foles, who was released by the Bears at the end of April. “We’re always looking at who makes this team better, at every position,” Reich said. “Who are the available veterans? Who can we still sign? [GM] Chris [Ballard] is very methodical about that process. We’re not in a rush. There is a timing to the way things go, and the way the roster is put together, that is very intentional.”
Of course, Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 2017 when Foles, filling in for an injured Carson Wentz, led Philadelphia on a magical run to its first Lombardi Trophy. Foles and Reich have a strong relationship, and Foles recently said, “I learned more with [Reich] and that staff in that season in 2017 than I ever have.”
Foles’ subsequent stints with the Jaguars and Bears were eminently forgettable, but he would certainly represent a qualified backup for Ryan. And that could be critical for a team that saw firsthand in 2021 how an inexperienced QB2 can negatively impact a season.
In a close game against the Rams in Week 2 of the 2021 campaign, Jacob Eason replaced (coincidentally) Wentz, who had suffered two sprained ankles. Eason, a 2020 fourth-rounder who was seeing his first regular-season action, promptly threw a crippling interception and finished the game 2-of-5 for 40 yards and the pick. He was waived a month later.
Indianapolis is high on 2021 sixth-rounder Sam Ehlinger, and it would not be surprising to see him as Ryan’s clipboard holder come Week 1. However, he has not thrown a regular-season pass in the NFL, and the same can be said for James Morgan and rookie UDFA Jack Coan, who round out the current QB depth chart.
As such, Foles could be an attractive option. Aside from him, the pickings on the free-agent quarterback market are pretty slim, with Cam Newton at the top of a list that also includes Ryan Fitzpatrick — who is 39 and who suffered a season-ending hip injury in the first game of the 2021 season — Mike Glennon and A.J. McCarron.
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