The Indianapolis Colts need to find their fourth starting quarterback in the last four seasons under Frank Reich, as the retirement of Philip Rivers has put the Colts firmly in the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes following reports that he is on his way out in Detroit.
As good as Stafford may be in the short term, he isn’t a long-term solution at quarterback. Jacob Eason, picked in the fourth round out of Washington in the 2020 NFL Draft, might end up as Indy’s signal-caller of the future, as he could learn from two of the best quarterbacks of the last decade in Stafford and Rivers.
There’s a lot to the puzzle of Jacob Eason.
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) January 26, 2021
And the #Colts liked some of the pieces Eason showed as a rookie:https://t.co/X6vg2Zlshv
Jacob Eason has enough talent to take over the Colts’ starting quarterback job after Matthew Stafford.
While Stafford’s contract might give off the illusion that he could end up in Indianapolis for a long time, he is about to turn 33 years old, meaning that his reign in Indy might not extend past the two seasons remaining on his deal. If that happens, Eason might be able to take over as the starter, as learning the finer points of the position from a former quarterback in Reich as well as two productive veterans like Rivers and Stafford could arm him with the knowledge needed to become a starter in this league.
Eason, a favorite of new OC Marcus Brady, was expected to go in the second or third round of the 2020 draft, but he slipped to the fourth round, likely due to some anonymous reports of a poor work ethic.
With everything out of Chris Ballard’s mouth claiming that he has worked his tail off, the Colts have a player with first-round talent on their hands. Eason’s arm strength is up there with anyone in the league today, and Reich helping him control that bazooka on his right shoulder could turn him into a quality starter.
THREAD—Jacob Eason is under center here, for a PA pass, both skills that are particularly useful in a Frank Reich offense. Though he floats the ball a tad bit, we still see his easy arm strength on this throw, launching it ~50 yds downfield for a TD #Colts pic.twitter.com/VBEgOpcb3U
— Faraz (@BrownMamba13) May 19, 2020
Eason’s biggest knock as a player was how raw he is, as he has played in just 16 games since he started his college career at Georgia. However, Indianapolis has more than enough quarterback knowledge that can be imparted to him with or without Stafford. If the Colts pull off the Stafford deal and Eason takes the backup job, he could end up giving the Colts a high-ceiling young quarterback Ballard and Reich can build around.
Would Colts be AFC favorite if they acquired Matthew Stafford?
Adding Matthew Stafford to a team coached by Frank Reich could make the Indianapolis Colts a favorite to contend for a Super Bowl.