Ex-Husky Eason May Have to Make First NFL Start Against Titans
Jacob Eason patiently waited to get drafted in the fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts. He bided his time as the ignored No. 3 quarterback as a rookie. Now everything is happening real fast around him, with Eason's first NFL start a real possibility this weekend.
The former University of Washington player is waiting to see if Colts starter Carson Wentz can come back from a pair of ankle sprains that knocked him out of Sunday's game against Los Angeles Rams, forcing Eason to make his pro debut in the Colts' 27-24 loss..
Indy will play the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville, no easy assignment even for tested veteran such as Wentz. Modern medicine miracles or not, the veteran quarterback will be hard-pressed to bounce back from those two flat tires and be ready to go.
Which leaves Eason.
Colts coach Frank Reich already is setting the stage for a personnel shift to his 6-foot-6, 231-pounder from Lake Stevens, Washington, by praising his progress as a second-year pro.
“I think Jacob’s been doing a really good job, he’s been really dialed in,” Reich said. “Scott Milanovich, our quarterbacks coach, has spent a lot of time with Jacob, all through training camp and even here in these first couple of weeks, just like he’s playing. If called upon, I’m confident Jacob will do a nice job.”
Eason played two short series after Wentz went out and made a fateful mistake right off the bat, throwing an interception on his second play to the Rams' Jalen Ramsey, one of the league's better cornerbacks. The young QB completed 2 of 5 passes for 25 yards in his brief appearance.
“I think in that situation, I was probably trying to do too much,” Eason acknowledged. “It’s a critical situation. We’ve got to go a certain number of yards and get a field goal to tie it up. Just go through my progressions and find the right guy.”
The Colts have invested a lot in the former UW quarterback, choosing not to sign another veteran to back up Wentz. They should get to see fairly soon whether that was the right call.
In Eason's favor, he'll have a week of practice to get ready for the Titans rather than get thrown into an NFL game cold for his first league outing with just over two minutes to play.
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