The Indianapolis Colts will carry three quarterbacks on the active roster to begin the regular season despite the hope that two of them never see the field.
As second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson looks to bounce back from an injury-shortened rookie campaign, the Colts also have veteran Joe Flacco as his backup.
In a mildly surprising twist, the Colts opted to keep fourth-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger during roster cuts earlier this week.
With that said, general manager Chris Ballard explained the intent behind the decision to keep Ehlinger on the roster.
"Well, we thought the rule was going to change, which it didn't. But look, Sam (Ehlinger) – I think with that position, it’s such a critical position that the second you don't need a third quarterback, you need a third quarterback," Ballard told reporters.
The rule change Ballard referred to was a proposal that would allow teams to call up an emergency third quarterback from the practice squad an unlimited amount of times throughout the season.
The NFL vetoed the proposal, which means the rule reverts to the 2023 standards. That means an emergency third quarterback must be on the 53-man roster or must be one of two standard elevations per week. A player is permitted to be elevated from the practice squad a total of three times during the regular season.
Given Richardson's game as a runner and the fact that he's coming off a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery, the Colts opted to keep Ehlinger as the emergency third quarterback with the hope that the 2021 seventh-round pick will never see the field.
Ballard also let it be known that the Colts believed Ehlinger would have been claimed off waivers if they tried to sneak him onto the practice squad.
Though the Colts essentially have to burn a roster spot for the third quarterback, the majority of teams across the NFL are doing so as well.
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