Why does Colts columnist want Jacob Eason to steal Carson Wentz’s job?

Remember at the start of the offseason when the Indianapolis Colts were without a starting quarterback?

Sure, Jacob Eason was on the roster, but he had just come off a redshirt year spent learning the playbook after he missed the chance to participate in rookie minicamp or OTAs. There was no way he could be trusted to lead this playoff-ready roster into the regular season.

However, fast forward to the third week in August and Eason is seemingly in the driver’s seat to lead the Colts into their first regular season game while incumbent starter Carson Wentz recovers from foot surgery.

While Eason has handled himself well during camp and in his preseason debut, it goes without saying Wentz gives the Colts the best chance to win right now.

So…why is columnist Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star advocating (maybe begging) for Eason to steal the job away from Wentz?

Why is columnist Gregg Doyel clamoring for Jacob Eason to steal Carson Wentz’s job?

"” A guy can hope, right? And make no mistake, this is my hope: That Jacob Eason is so good – Sam Ehlinger, too – the Colts get rid of Carson Wentz,” Doyel wrote."

We wanted to throw that quote in here to make sure you guys know Doyel isn’t messing around.

The veteran reporter is actually rooting for the Colts to get rid of Wentz, saying Eason would put the franchise in a better financial position, which is true, but let’s not pretend like they don’t have one of the deepest rosters in the game despite having several high-end contracts on their payroll.

Doyel also made the point that Eason has the superior arm talent. That might be true, but the 2020 fifth-rounder is only competent in a clean pocket thus far. If the pocket collapses and he’s forced to scramble, he really isn’t all that effective.

Wentz, on the other hand, has one of the strongest arms in the league and is as good as they come throwing on the run when faced with pressure. That’s a must in today’s NFL, and Eason doesn’t have a semblance of that talent in his locker.

Doyel’s final point, you ask? Wentz isn’t “helping us fight COVID.” While we would obviously prefer it if Wentz got the vaccine and pushed for teammates and players around the league to do the same, should that particular gripe really hold any merit here? Is Eason in the CDC?

Probably not. If that were the case, there would be a lot of players in the NFL, including some quarterbacks, without a job right now. Those were two weak arguments from Doyel, who could’ve just as easily brought up Wentz’s injury history, or the fact that he was one of the worst QBs in the league last year.

This is the problem with these sort of hot takes. It forces us to pick a side and slight Eason, who deserves nothing but praise for the way he’s performing.

Our advice? Don’t root for anyone to lose their job. Wentz was brought in to be the starter. The Colts moving off him just months after trading for him would be a disastrous optic for a franchise that’s already had awful luck with QBs recently.

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