Sam Ehlinger's Favorite Weapons Currently On Colts Roster

The Indianapolis Colts are looking for a spark.

They've retooled their offensive line for several weeks, trying to find the right combination of players, and now, they've made a change at arguably the most critical position in sports: quarterback.

On Monday, Colts head coach Frank Reich announced that they were promoting backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger to the starting spot after 15-year veteran Matt Ryan and his teammates failed to generate offensive consistency.

The Colts currently rank 16th in overall offense (341.6 YPG), and 30th in both rushing (81.0 YPG) and scoring (16.1 PPG). They've also given up the third-most sacks (24), and Ryan's 12 turnovers are the most in the NFL.

Simply put, the Colts (with perhaps a little nudging from ownership) were ready for a change.

Last we saw Ehlinger, he was impressing everyone with his play during the 2022 preseason. He went 24-of-29 passing (82.8%) for 289 yards (9.9 YPA), 4 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 132.6 in three games. Granted, that was mostly against players who aren't on active rosters at the moment but Ehlinger's mobility and "special sauce," as Reich describes it, are something the Colts are willing to bet on.

At Horseshoe Huddle, we've explored what the Colts' offense might look like and what the future ramifications for the team might be, but in the short term, who might be Ehlinger's go-to guys once this new offense gets on the field?

Out of Ehlinger's 60 career preseason pass attempts through his first two seasons, 32 of them were to players currently either on the active roster or practice squad.

WR Dezmon Patmon: 9 targets, 8 receptions, 188 yards (23.5 avg.), 1 TD
TE Kylen Granson: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards (14.5 avg.)
WR Mike Strachan: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards (14.0 avg.), 1 TD
RB Deon Jackson: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 17 yards (4.3 avg.)
TE Jelani Woods: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards (11.0 avg.), 1 TD
WR Michael Pittman Jr.: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards (7.0 avg.)
WR Ashton Dulin: 2 targets, 1 reception, 0 yards (0.0 avg.)
RB Nyheim Hines: 1 target, 1 reception, 18 yards (18.0 avg.)
WR Ethan Fernea: 1 target, 8 yards (8.0 avg.)
RB D'Vonte Price: 1 target, 5 yards (5.0 avg.)
WR Parris Campbell: 1 target
*Players in bold are on the active roster. Players in italics are on the practice squad

Before proceeding, a couple of notes. Ehlinger showed a liking for Strachan often this summer but the receiver didn't play in the preseason until Week 2 due to an injury, so he likely would've had even more targets from Ehlinger. Second, Granson and Ehlinger played together at Westlake High School in Austin, Tex., with Granson graduating in 2015 and Ehlinger in 2016.

While Ehlinger clearly has chemistry with Patmon, it seems unlikely that the Colts would promote him from the practice squad and give him a significant role. However, the new quarterback's comfort level with throwing to Patmon and Strachan — the Colts' top outside receivers during the preseason — bodes well for Pittman and Alec Pierce, who fill those spots now.

Granson also leads Colts tight ends in pass targets this season with 23, so I wouldn't expect a drop-off in his direction. Ehlinger is also very willing to dump the ball off to the running backs. Hines, Jackson, and Jonathan Taylor have combined for 64 targets already through seven weeks.

For the most part, the players that Ryan had targeted frequently shouldn't take much of a hit. However, one player who may see a decrease in production is Parris Campbell, who is second on the team in targets with 38. However, Ehlinger hasn't passed much to the slot position in his experience.

Ehlinger and the Colts see action again this Sunday at home against the Washington Commanders at 4:25pm ET.

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