Colts claim quarterback Charlie Whitehurst off waivers

With Andrew Luck sidelined for the next month or so, the Indianapolis Colts needed to add a backup quarterback for Matt Hasselbeck.  He was the only other quarterback on the roster, and Alex Tanney was on the practice squad, but the team needed someone else to back up their new starter in Hasselbeck.  That person is Charlie Whitehurst, as the Colts announced today that they have claimed him off of waivers from the Tennessee Titans.

Whitehurst was waived by the Titans earlier this week after serving as their backup quarterback for the past season and a half.  He was originally drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Clemson, and he spent the first four seasons of his career with San Diego (2006-2009).  He then spent two years with the Seattle Seahawks (2010-2011), then returned to spend two more years with the Chargers (2012-2013).  After that, he signed with the Titans in 2014, where he remained until this week.  In his career, he has played in 20 games (starting nine of them) and has completed 189 of 340 passes (55.6%) for 2,131 yards (6.27 yards per attempt), ten touchdowns and six interceptions for a 77.0 quarterback rating.  He made five starts for the Titans last year, completing 105 of 185 passes (56.8%) for 1,326 yards, seven touchdowns, and two picks for a passer rating of 87.4.

Charlie Whitehurst will now serve as the backup quarterback for the Colts, and he's a guy who has been in the league for several years and has experience playing, including as recently as making five starts last year.  The Colts absolutely needed to add a quarterback, but at the same time, if Matt Hasselbeck goes down, they're in trouble.  So while it's a solid move to claim Whitehurst off of waivers to add depth, the Colts had better hope that "Clipboard Jesus" only holds the clipboard behind Hasselbeck instead of having to play meaningful snaps.