Josh Freeman, who just signed on Tuesday, will start for the Indianapolis Colts after losing their top three quarterback options due to injuries.
According to ESPN, Freeman, Ryan Lindley and Stephen Morris had been competing for the starting job since Andrew Luck was excluded for the seventh consecutive game due to a lacerated kidney and a slightly torn abdominal muscle. Matt Hasslebeck, who took the place of Luck in the past six games, got an injured throwing shoulder, while third-stringer Charlie Whitehurst is temporarily unable to play because of a hamstring injury.
Although Freeman was a 2009 first-round draft pick and started 59 games for Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one for Minnesota Vikings, he has not played in the league for over two years. Both Freeman and Lindley were signed on the same day while Morris has been with the team since Dec. 24.
"They've done a great job," Coach Chuck Pagano said. "You can imagine coming off the street and they know zero. We're not going to throw everything at them, so we cut [the playbook] down."
This will not be Freeman's first time to make a start for a new team on a short notice. He already did this for the Vikings in 2013 where he started against the New York Giants just 15 days after being signed up, wrote CBS Sports.
He struggled on his way to a 20 of 53, 190-yard, an interception game where the Vikings lost, 23-7. He did not make another start for the Buccaneers and has not showed up in an NFL game since. He was most recently with the Fall Experimental Football League playing for the Brooklyn Bolts.
The Indianapolis Colts are in a must-win situation for their upcoming game on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans as well as the eight other games to push their way to the playoffs.