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Keep an eye on these Colts players in the preseason opener.
The Indianapolis Colts are set to host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium for the preseason opener at 1:00 p.m. ET.
The rosters are far from complete but this is the time where players begin making their cases for roster spots and larger roles. The practices are big for competition but nothing can simulate the real game.
Here are six Colts players to watch during the preseason opener against the Panthers:
Jacob Eason gets the start at QB for the preseason opener against the Panthers.
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Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich told the media Friday that Jacob Eason will get the start at quarterback in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The second-year quarterback has been splitting first-team reps with rookie Sam Ehlinger for the last week or so but will get the start for the Colts in the opener as starter Carson Wentz continues to work his way back from foot surgery.
Reich told the media Friday that Eason will get the start on Sunday with Ehlinger coming in after a quarter or so.
“Yeah, Jacob (Eason) is going to start. I don’t know how long, a quarter and a half? Don’t hold me to that but probably a quarter and a half or so depending on the flow of the game,” Reich said. “Then, the next game we’ll probably just flip that around.”
Eason has improved as training camp has gone on, but Ehlinger has been getting most of the attention given his ascent to taking first-team reps with the offense.
Both Eason and Ehlinger had solid showings during the joint practices with the Panthers with the latter possibly having the edge over the two-day span.
The young quarterbacks will get their first taste of game action in the NFL on Sunday as they compete for the backup role behind Wentz, and it will be Eason getting the first look with the offense.
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Notes and observations from the Colts’ second joint practice with the Panthers on Friday.
The Indianapolis Colts were back on the field Friday for their second of two joint training camp practices with the Carolina Panthers at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
It was another physical day in pads between the two teams as they prepare for the preseason opener at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. The team will have Saturday off before the opener on the following day at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Here are seven takeaways from the Colts’ second joint practice with the Panthers on Friday:
In 11-on-11 work on Thursday, Ehlinger was 13-of-16 with three touchdowns. Here’s one to Michael Pittman Jr.
Former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is continuing to turn heads at the Indianapolis Colts training camp.
The former Longhorn was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft and was widely viewed as a developmental quarterback at the professional level. He entered training camp in Indianapolis with hopes of competing for the backup job to Carson Wentz.
Within the first week of camp, Wentz suffered a foot injury that required surgery and his timeline to return is unknown. Reports originally stated that Wentz could miss the first several weeks of the season, but it’s seeming more likely that he could be ready to return by Week 1.
Ehlinger quickly stepped up as a rookie and continues to impress when given the opportunity. He is now splitting first-team reps with second-year quarterback Jacob Eason, and it appears the Colts will roll with one of the two youngsters during Wentz’s absence.
On Thursday, Ehlinger continued his ascension and looked sharp in the joint practice with the Carolina Panthers. He completed 13-of-16 passes with three touchdowns. Eason also appeared to have a solid day and it’s still seemingly his job to lose. However, Ehlinger has made this a fascinating battle.
Jacob Eason today: 8 of 11, TD
Sam Ehlinger: 13 of 16, 3 TDs
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) August 12, 2021
The Colts’ three preseason games will be crucial for both Ehlinger and Eason. One of the two will likely have to play meaningful snaps for Indianapolis if head coach Frank Reich does not want to start Wentz until he is 100% healthy.
Take a look at Ehlinger’s touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. on Thursday.
Mid-season levels of toe drag swag. 👟 pic.twitter.com/FDHBsPzCcP
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 13, 2021
The Colts first preseason game will take place on Sunday, August 15, at 12 p.m. CST against the Carolina Panthers.
Colts HC Frank Reich was pleased with Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger in Thursday’s joint practice with the Panthers.
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The young quarterbacks for the Indianapolis Colts got their first taste of facing a live opponent on Thursday when the Carolina Panthers came to town for joint training camp practices at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
Suffice it to say, the duo of Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger, who are splitting snaps with the first-team offense, had as strong of days as they have had during the first three weeks of camp.
Head coach Frank Reich told the media after Thursday’s practice that he was pleased with how the day went for the young passers.
“Yeah, and actually they (Sam Ehlinger and Jacob Eason) both did,” Reich said Thursday. “I thought the redzone period, both quarterbacks had a nice touchdown pass. Both Sam and Jacob I thought today were really solid. I thought it was solid days by both of them, we’ll look at the film more closely but felt good about the day.”
According to Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle and George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin, Ehlinger finished the day 13-of-16 with three touchdown passes to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver Mike Strachan and tight end Jack Doyle.
Meanwhile, Eason went 8-of-11 with a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Kylen Granson.
Given the up-and-down play both quarterbacks have shown throughout the training camp practices in Westfield, this is extremely encouraging to see from the young signal-callers. This becomes even more encouraging when considering the first-team offense has been without three starting offensive linemen in Eric Fisher, Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly.
“I just felt like there was pretty good execution all things considered, where we are in camp,” said Reich. “These guys, it’s their first go around, like you said, going up against a NFL defense. We’ll learn from the film and see if we can get them better tomorrow.”
Stacking days together is vital for young players at this time of the preseason and with Carson Wentz’s return still unknown at the moment, this weekend will be huge for Eason and Ehlinger.
The Colts will have one more joint practice with the Panthers on Friday at 4:00 p.m. before hosting the preseason opener on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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Notes and observations from Colts’ first joint practice with Panthers on Thursday.
The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Carolina Panthers for a joint training camp practice on Thursday for the first of two sessions ahead of the preseason opener this weekend.
Both teams came out in full pads at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield looking to be physical on their first days against live competition.
The Colts will have one more joint practice with the Panthers on Friday at 4:00 p.m. before a day off Saturday and the preseason opener on Sunday.
Here are nine takeaways from the first joint training camp practice between the Colts and Panthers
Here are seven Colts players to watch during the joint practices with the Panthers.
The Indianapolis Colts are preparing for a physical two days of joint training camp practices with the Carolina Panthers at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
Though these practices won’t be the final evaluation for players, it will be a big chance for some to show some juice against live competition for the first time before the season arrives.
The Colts will host the Panthers for 4:00 p.m. practices on Thursday and Friday before their preseason opener at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
Here are seven Colts to watch during the joint training camp practices with the Panthers.
Colts OC Marcus Brady talks about what they will look for in their QBs during the joint practices.
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The Indianapolis Colts will be hosting the Carolina Panthers on Thursday for the first of two joint training camp practices at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
As their first look against a live opponent this preseason, the young quarterbacks in Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger will have a challenge ahead of themselves for the next few days.
Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady discussed what he wants to see from the duo who will be splitting snaps until the return of starter Carson Wentz.
“Really just trust what they’ve been doing in practice, trust their reads. Obviously, we’re going to semi-game plan them – not too much, not too intensive, but we’ll have a plan for them,” Brady told reporters Wednesday. “So, trust their progression, trust what they see with their eyes, protect the ball and make good decisions.”
When Wentz initially went down with a foot injury and subsequent surgery, it was Eason who was the only one receiving first-team work. However, the rookie in Ehlinger has earned reps with the first unit, giving the Colts a true competition at quarterback.
The team isn’t quite clear how the snaps will be split during the first preseason game on Sunday, but Brady said they are in the process of doing so as the joint practices begin.
“It’s still being talked about but they’re both going to get reps, probably both early on in the game,” said Brady. “I think Jacob (Eason) probably at least will go a quarter-plus and then Sam (Ehlinger) will come in. We’ll see how it goes and finalize that in the next couple days and see how these couple of practices go as well.”
It will be interesting to see how the young quarterbacks fare against their first live competitors in the Panthers, but this will be a crucial part of the evaluation for the duo.
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The Colts will continue to split first-team reps with QBs Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger.
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The Indianapolis Colts had an interesting development on Tuesday when quarterback Sam Ehlinger saw first-team reps with the offense for the first time during training camp.
While head coach Frank Reich said last week there were no plans of doing so, it seems those plans have changed. Now, the Colts will continue to split the first-team reps between the rookie Ehlinger and Jacob Eason.
“It wasn’t anything with Jacob doing anything wrong. This is meritocracy and Sam has looked good. So, we decided to split it up,” Reich told reporters Tuesday. “The good news is they both looked sharp today. Jacob had a really good day today, Sam looked good. We’ll continue to split those reps and just take it day-by-day, but happy with how they both looked today.”
Eason has been inconsistent throughout camp at the starting quarterback with Wentz out. He’s shown flashes of development, which is encouraging, but there are plenty of concerns with how the offense will look if he has to start games. Considering he’s essentially a rookie himself, it’s important for him to stack successful days.
Reich did say that Eason will get the first-team reps during the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 15 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“They’ll both get a lot of reps. We’ll split the reps with the ones more than likely in practice at quarterback against the Panthers,” Reich said. “In the game, I’m not going to try and split it like that in the game, we’ll just let one guy go. Jacob will probably start and go. Then Sam will come in sometime whenever – mid-second quarter.”
Ehlinger has looked more poised and has the ability to create more with his legs. However, he lacks true arm strength and would likely be working more in a short-passing game type of playbook. Still, the Colts have been impressed with Ehlinger’s quick progression.
The Colts are hoping that Wentz will be ready for Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. It’s reportedly trending that way, but the team won’t know for sure until next week.
But for now, it’s official. The Colts have a quarterback competition on their hands between Eason and Ehlinger.
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It’s happening. Keep an eye on the Colts QB battle over the next few weeks!
Well that escalated quickly.
Former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was widely viewed as a developmental quarterback at the professional level. In fact, many NFL draft analysts mentioned that his best case scenario would be to become a backup quarterback.
After the Indianapolis Colts selected Ehlinger in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft, the rookie was expected to compete with Jacob Eason to become Carson Wentz’s primary backup.
However, Wentz went down with a foot injury early in training camp and is expected to be sidelined through the first few weeks of the season. Ehlinger quickly stepped up and the team appeared to rally around him.
Several Indianapolis reporters have tabbed the former Longhorn as the more consistent quarterback throughout practices, and his impressive last week of performances has now earned him first team reps.
Jacob Eason will start Sunday’s preseason game against Carolina. BUT he will split 1st team snaps with Sam Ehlinger in the joint practices vs. the Panthers on Thursday and Friday, coach Frank Reich said
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) August 10, 2021
Eason is considered the favorite to land the starting role during Wentz’s absence, but the second-year player hasn’t thrown an NFL pass yet, much like Ehlinger. The Colts’ three preseason games will be telling for both Ehlinger and Eason’s future in Indianapolis.
It’s still certainly possible, and arguably likely, that the Colts could bring in another veteran quarterback to fill the void. However, it appears they’ll wait to see how the two young quarterbacks perform through a couple of preseason games.
It’s hard to root against a player like Ehlinger who consistently showcases his competitive nature, effort and resiliency.
