Texas Fight or Flight
Former Longhorn Quarterbacks Quinn Ewers & Sam Ehlinger fighting to earn roster spots on their respective teams.
Quinn Ewers and Sam Ehlinger are often compared to one another. There are arguments to be made for both in terms of their place in Texas Lore. Sam has the Georgia Sugar Bowl, Quinn has 4th & 13. One thing they both have in common: they’re 3rd-string quarterbacks in the NFL, fighting to make the 53-man roster. With their first preseason games in the books, let’s see how they’re faring:
Quinn Ewers Roller Coaster Returns
It was an up-and-down day for Quinn, featuring a pair of “Welcome to the NFL” strip-sack fumbles. While he did make some gorgeous throws and lead two scoring drives, it was a bit of an inconsistent showing for his Dolphins debut (Watch Quinn's Game Recap).
While the stat line doesn’t tell the full story—dropped passes and an invisible offensive line did him no favors—it’s unnerving to be the 3rd-string quarterback and turn in a less-than-impressive game (5/18 completions, 91 yards, 2 turnovers). Life on the C-team means you don’t get the A-team receivers and support, but at the end of the day, you have to make it work in order to make the team.
My biggest and best takeaway from Quinn’s game? He came out of it healthy, even after taking some hits. My next best takeaway—it’s only his first game. No doubt, taking live hits for the first time after finally recovering from his oblique injury caused some timid throws and skittish feet. Fortunately, Quinn has two more preseason games to build his case for making the 53-man roster as Miami’s third-string quarterback. I’m not selling my Quinn stock yet…but I will be wearing my lucky Texas shirt next weekend, just in case.
Sam Ehlinger is Mr. Preseason
Sam turned in a solid performance on Saturday for the Denver Broncos (6/10 completions, 55 yards, 1 touchdown). As a 5th-year veteran in the NFL, Sam has always shined in the preseason and is used to fighting for his roster spot. However, this year might be his toughest roster to make, given the Broncos have a very healthy and stable quarterback room. This is something the Colts never had the entire time Sam was there—and still don’t have.
Sean Payton recently spoke on Sam, and had great things to say about the former Longhorn’s impressive physical and intangible traits. Payton’s comments come as no surprise to Texas fans, since Sam was one of, if not the most beloved Longhorn in the post-McCoy/pre-Sark era. We should all keep our fingers crossed that Sam’s amazing work ethic and consistent play when called upon are enough to secure his roster spot.
What’s Next?
Staying consistent at practice and being a great teammate will be critical for Quinn and Sam the next two weeks. An underrated cheat code to staying in the league for years to come is by simply being a great locker room guy (just ask Colt McCoy, 12-season NFL vet).
You can watch Quinn’s next preseason game on Saturday, 8/16, 12:00pm at the Detroit Lions and Sam’s next game on Saturday, 8/16, 8:30pm vs the Arizona Cardinals. Huge comeback opportunity for Quinn in a dome setting and an opportunity for Sam to further boost his preseason résumé at home. Let’s hope our former quarterbacks bring the Texas Fight!