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Here are 12 things we learned from the first week of Colts training camp.
The Indianapolis Colts completed their first week of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield with four padless practices.
It is still very early in camp so we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions when it comes to position battles or production, but there are storylines taking place surrounding the team. Some are bigger than others, and we got plenty of information from the first week.
Here are 12 things we learned from the first week of Colts training camp:
Takeaways from Colts training camp practice No. 4 on Saturday.
The Indianapolis Colts concluded their first week of training camp with a practice on Saturday at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
With Carson Wentz still out with a foot injury and the Colts awaiting more information, the team rolled with Jacob Eason as the starter with the first-team offense.
Here are six takeaways from training camp practice No. 4 for the Colts:
Amid Carson Wentz’s foot injury, Colts QB Jacob Eason is trying to make the most of his reps with the first team.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacob Eason has been running with the first-team offense ever since starter Cason Wentz went down with a foot injury on Thursday.
As Wentz is out indefinitely until the team gets more information for their decision moving forward, Eason will be making the most out of the first-team reps he’s getting with the offense.
“It’s definitely different, but at the same time it’s good for me as a player to get in there, get those reps, get that exposure, getting in and out of the huddle, seeing what’s going on in the defense,” Eason told reporters Saturday. “It’s definitely very different than it was last year and it happened quick but I’m very glad and fortunate to be getting these reps right now.”
The Colts are sending Wentz to foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in hopes of getting a recommendation on what they should do next in terms of surgery or rehab. In the meantime, Eason will be QB1.
It hasn’t all been roses, though, especially on the field. Eason has struggled with consistency to open camp, and it’s been reflected in practice. During team drill on Saturday, Eason finished 10-for-22 with a red-zone touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. and two interceptions, per George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin.
After sitting behind Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett for his entire rookie season, essentially using it as a redshirt, Eason is finally getting to watch himself on tape to improve various aspects of his game.
“It’s huge. It’s watching yourself, seeing your decisions, your progressions, your progress. It’s a lot different watching someone else do it. You can’t really always see what they’re thinking, but you can talk about it,” Eason said. “When you do it, you know what you were thinking, you know what you were seeing, you can make those self-corrections.”
Getting those reps are key for Eason’s development. Making mistakes is part of the process, especially for a young quarterback with little experience, and the Colts are hoping Eason is able to use that to make progress in his development.
“Well yeah, the biggest thing is we just want to continue getting him reps. There are plays that he hadn’t seen and this is his first time getting the live rep. He’s going to learn from it, he’s going to make the mistakes,” said offensive coordinator Marcus Brady on Friday. “He made some good plays, he made some bad plays and we just have to continue to grow and make sure that he’s improving and learning from those mistakes.”
The Colts aren’t sure yet when Wentz will return, but Eason will be the one leading the offense. The second-year quarterback is taking it day-by-day without getting overwhelmed with the big picture as he tries to help the Colts stay afloat.
“I’m just taking it a day at a time – one day at a time, one practice at a time, one rep at a time. Just trying to get better and keep competing. That’s all we’re doing.”
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Notes and observations from Colts training camp practice No. 1 on Wednesday.
The Indianapolis Colts are officially back in action as the team held its first training camp practice on Wednesday at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.
Though the Colts weren’t in pads, there was plenty of action. The team went through some individual drills with 1v1 matchups while also spending quite a bit of time in 11v11 drills as well.
Here are seven notes and observations from the first training camp practice of the 2021 season:
CBS Sports ranked Colts QB Jacob Eason at No. 20 among backup QBs.
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacob Eason came in at No. 20 in CBS Sports’ backup quarterback rankings entering the 2021 season.
“No career snaps means he’s still an unknown, but as a 2020 fourth-rounder with most of the requisite physical tools, he seems fairly well off in Frank Reich’s offense, though Indy might prefer a safer bet behind new starter Carson Wentz.”
With Carson Wentz looking to bounce back in a big way following a rough 2020 season, the Colts believe he has what it takes to find his form. But they also have a big question mark when it comes to his backup.
As it stands with a few weeks until the start of training camp, Eason may have a slight advantage in the competition over rookie sixth-round pick Sam Ehlinger, who arrived as a fresh face in the room during the draft.
Eason sat his entire rookie season behind Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett, using the campaign as an opportunity to learn more about the game and get acclimated to life in the NFL.
While Eason and Ehlinger will be battling for the backup role, it seems likely that the Colts are going to carry three quarterbacks into the season. It may just turn out to be that the QB3 on the depth chart is a healthy scratch on game days.
Eason has been blessed with a cannon for an arm, but he has to prove to the Colts he can handle the mental side of quarterbacking while also handling pressure better than he did in college.
It isn’t clear what the competitions hold for Eason, but it will be nice to finally see him play in some games during the preseason.
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Here is the biggest name at each position on the roster bubble for the Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts are now under three weeks away from their return to training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.
With the much-needed return of training camp also comes the roster debates as numerous players are vying for the limited spots on the Colts roster. With so many positions already having foundational pieces, there is going to be some intense competition for roles and spots on the roster.
So we are going to take a look at the biggest potential roster cut at each position. Essentially, which players with the biggest name are on the bubble? Some of these may be a surprise while others not so much. For some, it may not matter whether they make it or not. But we’re here to break it down anyway.
Here’s the biggest potential roster cut at each position by the time training camp is over:
Jacob Eason is battling for the QB2 role.
The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their spring workouts at the end of May and will return for training camp sometime at the end of July to prepare for the 2021 regular season.
Before that happens, we will be going through the majority of the roster to preview their background, projected role and bottom line with the team entering training camp.
Next up is second-year quarterback Jacob Eason, who is battling for the backup role behind starter Carson Wentz:
Which jobs are in jeopardy this offseason?
The Indianapolis Colts have gotten through the 2021 NFL draft and are now focused on the process of trimming down the roster to 53 players over the next few months.
The majority of those decisions won’t be impacted until training camp begins. The Colts have their offseason workouts but the jobs are hardly secured then. Though most starting jobs are already locked up, there are some players on the current roster who may be on notice following the offseason moves.
Here are seven Colts whose jobs are in jeopardy this offseason:
Who are the winners and losers after the 2021 draft?
The Indianapolis Colts are rounding out their roster with a few undrafted rookie free agents following their seven-player class in the 2021 NFL draft.
You can follow our undrafted free agent tracker before they announce the signings, but the draft class should have a pretty big impact on the roster and a number of the players that were already there.
Though the players haven’t stepped on the NFL field yet, their selections could provide some players to have a cloudy future with the team. Conversely, a lack of a pick at a certain position could help boost another player’s stock into a larger role.
Here are the winners and losers from the Colts’ 2021 draft class:
Colts finally get a full offseason of Jacob Eason.
The Indianapolis Colts will be working hard this offseason to get new quarterback Carson Wentz back to form as a high-quality starting quarterback in the NFL.
That’s the priority for the team. But they will also finally get a deeper look at 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason, who spent his rookie season essentially as a redshirt being a healthy scratch for every game.
The Colts have stated plenty they still don’t know what they have in Eason, and new quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich reiterated that notion to reporters in late March.
“It’s pretty incomplete,” Milanovich said, via Joel A. Erickson of IndyStar. “I’ve watched him (in college) at Washington, I watched his training camp stuff. I watched some of the scrimmages he played in, and he did some really nice things. He obviously has a big, big arm, can make all the throws. … Until you see a guy play, it’s really hard to make an evaluation.”
Eason was behind 2020 starter Philip Rivers, who played very well for the Colts in helping them earn playoff spot. He was also behind backup Jacoby Brissett, who did some good things in short-yardage situations as a runner. Both players are gone. Rivers rode off into the sunset of retirement while Brissett signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins in free agency.
As it stands now, Eason is the backup quarterback to Wentz. It’s unlikely to stay that way throughout the entire offseason. Chris Ballard has stated he’s not fully comfortably yet making Eason the backup until they know what they have in him. So competition from a veteran should be expected at some point.
Getting on the field will finally show how much growth Eason has undergone rather than going through the mental reps.
“Mental reps are as good as anything, but going back to the having played part, they also have to do it on the field,” Milanovich said.
Milanovich also went into a bit of detail on how the Colts can get the most out of Eason’s development despite the fact that Wentz is the starter.
“You just have to use different ways to develop him, from mental reps to extra video, from after practice, staying on the field and going through scripts,” Milanovich said. “When Carson’s out there in practice, you’ve got those young guys right next to you, and you’re quizzing them as we go, hey, what’s the point, what’s the protection. I just think it takes time and reps.”
The Colts used their fourth-round pick on Eason because he was the highest on their board at the time. Whether he turns into anything will be a storyline to watch this offseason, but the Colts will finally get a full offseason to evaluate
