The Colts surprised a lot of people outside their building this week when head coach Frank Reich announced Sam Ehlinger would replace Matt Ryan as the club’s starting quarterback on Monday.
But that choice was unexpected for at least some inside the building, too.
Veteran center Ryan Kelly, for instance, did not seem to be the most enthusiastic about the move when speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
“Everybody’s got their own opinions about it,” Kelly said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN. “I’m not going to get into mine, but certainly, I think everybody’s a little bit surprised. So it is what it is.”
A first-round pick in 2016, Kelly has been there for all the QB changes of the Frank Reich era — from Andrew Luck, to Jacoby Brissett, to Philip Rivers, to Carson Wentz, to Ryan, and now to Ehlinger. So, it’s understandable if Kelly is perhaps a bit jaded.
But even as Ehlinger is more mobile than Ryan at this point in their respective careers, Ehlinger is going to need all the support he can get from the offensive linemen as he begins his tenure as Indianapolis’ QB1.