5 quarterback options for the Colts if Carson Wentz misses time

In the wake of Wentz’s injury, the Colts have two in-house options they may consider–second-year man Jacob Eason, and sixth-round pick rookie Sam Ehlinger. Eason was a fourth-round pick in 2020 out of Washington, but with no preseason last year he has yet to take a snap in any NFL game. He stepped into first-team practice reps right away in Wentz’s place, so he’s in line to operate as the starter until further notice. The signing of Hundley will not change that.

Eason is big (6-foot-6, 231 pounds) with a big arm. It’s easy to forget how well-regarded he was at the start of his college career at Georgia, but he still has those raw tools and a comparison (fair or not) to Josh Allen’s development timeline is not ridiculous. If he can get totally comfortable in the Colts’ offense, a still top-notch offensive line and deep group of skill position talent would line Easton up to succeed right away.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, however expected, is optimistic about Eason.

“He’s getting better every day,” Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said Friday. “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.”

If Wentz ends up lined up to miss a lot of time, Colts fans will surely clamor for a bigger move to keep high expectations for 2021 on track. But Eason is in the conversation to step in, and he was able to learn the Colts’ playbook last year despite not seeing any game reps.