The Indianapolis Colts will be hosting the Carolina Panthers on Thursday for the first of two joint training camp practices at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
As their first look against a live opponent this preseason, the young quarterbacks in Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger will have a challenge ahead of themselves for the next few days.
Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady discussed what he wants to see from the duo who will be splitting snaps until the return of starter Carson Wentz.
“Really just trust what they’ve been doing in practice, trust their reads. Obviously, we’re going to semi-game plan them – not too much, not too intensive, but we’ll have a plan for them,” Brady told reporters Wednesday. “So, trust their progression, trust what they see with their eyes, protect the ball and make good decisions.”
When Wentz initially went down with a foot injury and subsequent surgery, it was Eason who was the only one receiving first-team work. However, the rookie in Ehlinger has earned reps with the first unit, giving the Colts a true competition at quarterback.
The team isn’t quite clear how the snaps will be split during the first preseason game on Sunday, but Brady said they are in the process of doing so as the joint practices begin.
“It’s still being talked about but they’re both going to get reps, probably both early on in the game,” said Brady. “I think Jacob (Eason) probably at least will go a quarter-plus and then Sam (Ehlinger) will come in. We’ll see how it goes and finalize that in the next couple days and see how these couple of practices go as well.”
It will be interesting to see how the young quarterbacks fare against their first live competitors in the Panthers, but this will be a crucial part of the evaluation for the duo.
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