Matt Ryan joins the star-studded AFC quarterback group
The Atlanta Falcons have traded veteran quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts. Ryan joins a crowded AFC quarterback crop.
The AFC was already crowded, and that was before former NFL MVP Matt Ryan joined the fray.
The Atlanta Falcons have traded their longtime franchise quarterback to the Indianapolis Colts, where he will get the opportunity to work with noted QB guru Frank Reich.
Reich and the Indianapolis Colts made the decision in the 2022 offseason to move on from last year’s starter Carson Wentz when the team saw a 98 percent shot at the postseason trickle down their legs in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Matt Ryan the latest star QB to join the AFC
BREAKING: Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts is ALL BUT DONE, my source(s) are saying it's for a 3rd rounder#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/gxW1OoI9W7
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 21, 2022
Although Matt Ryan was the NFL MVP just six years ago, he hasn’t quite been the same guy in recent years. Still, at the age of 37, he doesn’t appear to have fallen off the proverbial cliff by any means.
Perhaps the change of scenery will do him wonders.
Perhaps the Colts will be able to surround him with much better talent than the Falcons in recent years, who have traded away Julio Jones and been without Calvin Ridley for an extended period of time.
The Colts have a very strong defense that got even stronger this offseason with the addition of Yannick Ngakoue to the pass rush. Even though defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus took the head coaching gig with the Chicago Bears, the Colts are expected to maintain their high level of play on that side of the ball, and the proven, grizzled veteran Matt Ryan might just be exactly what that team needs to galvanize properly under Frank Reich.
Even with a revolving door at QB under Reich, the Colts have had plenty of success as a team.
With a quarterback like Matt Ryan playing in Frank Reich’s scheme, the recipe could be there for a late revival of Ryan’s career in general. He has three seasons in his career with over 30 passing touchdowns.
While Ryan is not as spry as Matthew Stafford, could we see something similar with the Colts to what we saw from Stafford and the Rams?
It’s not impossible. Matt Ryan may not be the difference-maker he once was, but that could change with a change of scenery.
The Colts are as good of a fit as any with a solid offensive line, an elite running back in Jonathan Taylor, and the cap space to go out and add some weapons in the passing game for Ryan to spread the ball to.