Colts' Frank Reich Expecting 'More Of The Same' From Young QBs

Now, it starts to count.

Sure, it's still preseason football after all, but with Carson Wentz on the shelf, Indianapolis Colts' head coach Frank Reich is excited to see what young quarterbacks Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger can do their first time inside an NFL stadium.

Eason will start Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Carolina Panthers at Lucas Oil Stadium — a game that will be nationally televised on NFL Network. Ehlinger is expected to take over midway through the second quarter and get some run as well, giving the two young quarterbacks seemingly locked in a battle for the starting position should Wentz miss Week 1 a real shot at showing out in front of Colts' fans and giving themselves an edge.

"I expect them to be fearless, I expect them to embrace that moment," Reich said regarding the two young quarterbacks. "They’ve gotten to this point, so I assume when the bullets are live, I know how we all feel. Playing at this level, it’s just kind of like – it’s kind of fun. It’s kind of fun. You know you’re going to get hit and there’s something about that that brings out the best in you. I’m counting on that to bringing out the best in them.”

To date in training camp, Eason and Ehlinger have taken turns looking like the clear backup quarterback to Wentz, and the first guy off the bench to open the season should Wentz miss a few weeks following a foot procedure.

Against the Panthers on Sunday, Reich is looking for more of the same from the two, hoping that the moment won't be too big for them. Sunday's game against the Panthers will be the first NFL action for Eason — and the first football action dating back to his time with Washington in 2019.

“More of the same. I feel like they have been getting better," Reich said. "It’s not been perfect, but move the sticks, make the play in situational football that we need to make to extend a drive, to finish the drive and then make good decisions – be a good decision-maker. We think we have a good football team, right? So if one of those guys is our starting quarterback Week 1, they don’t have to be a superstar. We want to see them go out and play good football, trust their teammates around them, trust the running game, make the plays in the play-action game and on third down and red zone where you have to be right, be right.”

Regardless of how the preseason goes for Eason and Ehlinger, Reich is confident in the duo either way, providing the Colts with strong depth at quarterback down to the third-string role.

“That’s still to be determined [who will be the third quarterback]," Reich said. "They’re still battling it out. We feel good about both of those guys and it’s just going to be determined in the next couple of weeks. We feel like it’s a win-win for us because we feel like both of them can play starting, winning football. It’ll give us depth either way.”

Have thoughts on Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger ahead of Sunday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers? Drop a line in the comments below letting us know how you feel!

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