The Indianapolis Colts are going to get a good, long look at second-year quarterback Jacob Eason during the preseason while starter Carson Wentz recovers from foot surgery over the next number of weeks.
This isn’t breaking news in the slightest, but head coach Frank Reich made it clear that just because Eason is the new starting quarterback, for now, that doesn’t mean he will see reduced playing time in the preseason—as would have been the case if Wentz was healthy.
“He’s probably going to play a lot more than Carson would play,” Reich said of Eason on Monday.
In order to avoid injuries to starters, the Colts would reduce the number of snaps for players who will hold a significant role. They can’t afford to do that with Eason. He needs the work in case Wentz winds up missing games during the regular season.
After a redshirt rookie season sitting behind Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett, the Colts didn’t get a good look at the 2020 fourth-round pick. Now, Eason will be thrown into the fire, and the team will have no choice but to get a long look at the Washington product.
Building Eason’s confidence by stacking practices together is the main goal right now leading up to the preseason.
“As we all know, really at any position but certainly at the quarterback position, confidence is a big deal and there’s only one way to get it, and that’s to execute – execute and stack play-by-play,” Reich said. “As you guys know, the quarterback position is tough. You’re dependent on a lot of other guys, so you can have a few things go wrong that sometimes aren’t your fault but that reflects on you. That’s the job. You have to still find ways to overcome that.”
The Colts will know more about Wentz’s timeline for return after a few weeks of rest following his surgery, but we will get a long look at the former fourth-round pick during the preaseason.
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