While it appears a quarterback competition may be brewing at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, the Indianapolis Colts currently don’t have any plans to give anyone other than Jacob Eason the starting reps with the offense.
Eason has been filling for starter Carson Wentz, who continues to recover from foot surgery. Meanwhile, rookie Sam Ehlinger has shown flashes during the first two weeks of camp, which makes it fair to wonder if he will ever get first-team reps.
As it stands now, head coach Frank Reich said there are no plans to give Ehlinger starting reps in practice or the preseason games.
Reich says Colts don’t plan to give Ehlinger starting snaps yet. Eason’s in the driver’s seat, but Reich does say it’s a competition
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) August 7, 2021
That doesn’t mean things can’t change in the future, but it appears the Colts are going to give Eason all the chances to earn that starting role while Wentz is out. Eason should certainly be expected to play a lot during the preseason opener next week, even if it means getting work in with the second team.
Ehlinger has been impressive with his grasp of the offense in such a short time. Though he lacks true arm strength, he moves well in and out of the pocket with a knack for creating offense with his legs.
Ehlinger is certainly someone to watch throughout the preseason, especially if he does wind up earning first-team reps, but it seems as of now, those will belong solely to Eason.
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