Why the Colts benched Matt Ryan, and what's next

INDIANAPOLIS -- In the back corner of the visitors locker room at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday, long after most of its occupants had departed, Matt Ryan gritted his teeth to perform the simplest of tasks: Putting on a shirt.

The Indianapolis Colts' quarterback was in obvious pain and spent considerable time after the loss to the Tennessee Titans in the training room. Then he slowly retreated to his locker where he struggled to raise his arm above his head.

The scene became even more notable on Monday, when Colts coach Frank Reich announced Ryan had sustained a Grade 2 separated shoulder and the Colts would be making a move to backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger for the rest of the season. Reich said the move would have been made regardless of the injury.

Will this prove to be the final scene of Ryan's career? A 15-year veteran with the seventh-most passing yards in NFL history sitting silently in a losing locker room with an aching shoulder?It's one of many questions brought about by Monday's surprising developments, all of which will have far-reaching implications for the franchise.

"At some point as a head coach you have to make hard decisions," Reich said. "You have to work through these things, and they are not easy."

Ehlinger has been turning heads inside the Colts organization since his arrival in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He even bypassed Nick Foles on the depth chart two weeks ago, moving from the No. 3 quarterback to No. 2. But his promotion to the starter is a much different proposition. Ehlinger has never thrown a pass in a regular-season game.

What does it all mean for Ryan, Ehlinger and the Colts? Let's dive in.Are Matt Ryan's days in Indianapolis over?
Short of an injury to Ehlinger, it's difficult to see Ryan coming back from this -- even after his shoulder heals.

The Colts' offense has been one of the worst-performing units in the league, averaging 16.1 points. Ryan also leads the NFL with nine interceptions. It isn't all his fault; the Colts didn't provide Ryan with the protection he expected, as their once-powerful offensive line has struggled. Similarly, the Colts rank 29th in rushing yards per carry (3.5). The infrastructure around Ryan has been non-existent.

But Ryan was unable to rise above it, and the offense is performing at an unsustainable level.

What went wrong?
Even though the struggles of veteran offensive linemen like Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly have been surprising, the Colts also took a passive approach to filling key spots at left tackle and right guard. The result: disaster. The Colts have started different offensive-line combinations in each of their past five games, continuing a search for the right five-man lineup.

They've also tried altering their offensive approach, with more emphasis on quick throws rather than stuffed runs. In the end, nothing has worked with any consistency. A quarterback change isn't likely to be a magic fix, but the Colts were fresh out of cards to play.

Reich put it this way when breaking the news to Ryan, who was acquired from the Falcons for a third-round draft pick in March: "We did not hold up to our end of the bargain."

What is Ryan's contract situation?
The Colts restructured Ryan's contract after trading for him. That moved some of his guaranteed money to the deal's final year, 2023. That means the Colts are on the hook for $18 million in salary-cap money should they part with Ryan after this season.

Ryan is scheduled to earn a $21.7 million base salary in 2023 if he remains on the roster or is traded. He also is due a $7.5 million roster bonus in March, giving the Colts something of a deadline by which to decide his future.INDIANAPOLIS -- In the back corner of the visitors locker room at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday, long after most of its occupants had departed, Matt Ryan gritted his teeth to perform the simplest of tasks: Putting on a shirt.

The Indianapolis Colts' quarterback was in obvious pain and spent considerable time after the loss to the Tennessee Titans in the training room. Then he slowly retreated to his locker where he struggled to raise his arm above his head.

The scene became even more notable on Monday, when Colts coach Frank Reich announced Ryan had sustained a Grade 2 separated shoulder and the Colts would be making a move to backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger for the rest of the season. Reich said the move would have been made regardless of the injury.

Will this prove to be the final scene of Ryan's career? A 15-year veteran with the seventh-most passing yards in NFL history sitting silently in a losing locker room with an aching shoulder?It's one of many questions brought about by Monday's surprising developments, all of which will have far-reaching implications for the franchise.

"At some point as a head coach you have to make hard decisions," Reich said. "You have to work through these things, and they are not easy."

Ehlinger has been turning heads inside the Colts organization since his arrival in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He even bypassed Nick Foles on the depth chart two weeks ago, moving from the No. 3 quarterback to No. 2. But his promotion to the starter is a much different proposition. Ehlinger has never thrown a pass in a regular-season game.

What does it all mean for Ryan, Ehlinger and the Colts? Let's dive in.Are Matt Ryan's days in Indianapolis over?
Short of an injury to Ehlinger, it's difficult to see Ryan coming back from this -- even after his shoulder heals.

The Colts' offense has been one of the worst-performing units in the league, averaging 16.1 points. Ryan also leads the NFL with nine interceptions. It isn't all his fault; the Colts didn't provide Ryan with the protection he expected, as their once-powerful offensive line has struggled. Similarly, the Colts rank 29th in rushing yards per carry (3.5). The infrastructure around Ryan has been non-existent.

But Ryan was unable to rise above it, and the offense is performing at an unsustainable level.

What went wrong?
Even though the struggles of veteran offensive linemen like Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly have been surprising, the Colts also took a passive approach to filling key spots at left tackle and right guard. The result: disaster. The Colts have started different offensive-line combinations in each of their past five games, continuing a search for the right five-man lineup.

They've also tried altering their offensive approach, with more emphasis on quick throws rather than stuffed runs. In the end, nothing has worked with any consistency. A quarterback change isn't likely to be a magic fix, but the Colts were fresh out of cards to play.

Reich put it this way when breaking the news to Ryan, who was acquired from the Falcons for a third-round draft pick in March: "We did not hold up to our end of the bargain."

What is Ryan's contract situation?
The Colts restructured Ryan's contract after trading for him. That moved some of his guaranteed money to the deal's final year, 2023. That means the Colts are on the hook for $18 million in salary-cap money should they part with Ryan after this season.

Ryan is scheduled to earn a $21.7 million base salary in 2023 if he remains on the roster or is traded. He also is due a $7.5 million roster bonus in March, giving the Colts something of a deadline by which to decide his future.