Colts release backup quarterback Josh Freeman

The Indianapolis Colts this morning announced that they have released quarterback Josh Freeman.

The move comes as a surprise, as last week it was reported and seemingly confirmed by Matt Hasselbeck that the Colts wouldn't be re-signing the veteran, leaving Freeman as the favorite (though not only) option to replace him as Andrew Luck's backup.  At the very least, Freeman was expected to compete in training camp, so the fact that they have released him already is a bit surprising.  It leaves Stephen Morris as the team's only quarterback under contract through the 2016 season besides for Luck.

When the Colts signed Morris off of the Eagles practice squad last year, they made it clear: it was a move geared for the future.  That's why Morris wasn't the one who got the start in week 17, but the Colts did want to see what Morris could do for them moving forward.  Morris could very well enter camp competing for the backup quarterback spot, but I'd be surprised if the Colts didn't add another quarterback either through free agency or the draft.

In one game with the Colts last year, Freeman completed 15 of 28 passes for 149 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while helping the Colts defeat the Tennessee Titans.  Considering the fact that he had just been signed a few days earlier, it seemed like a positive game for the quarterback and it seemed the Colts wanted to keep him around to compete for the backup quarterback spot.  It's surprising that he didn't even make it to camp with the team, but it's possible the Colts have a plan in place for their backup quarterback position already that we don't know about.