The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback situation was already murky entering training camp, given new starter Carson Wentz‘s disastrous 2020 campaign, and things have only worsened. A foot injury will reportedly keep him out anywhere from five to 12 weeks.
Now, the Colts are left with a quarterback room consisting of Jacob Eason, Sam Ehlinger, Brett Hundley and Jalen Morton. Of that group, Hundley is the only one to have taken a dropback in an NFL game — preseason or regular season.
To say Hundley has been shaky when given the opportunity to lead an NFL offense is an understatement.
He has thrown 337 passes in his six-year NFL career, most of which came in the 2017 season with the Green Bay Packers when Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury in Week 6. Hundley posted a 58.5 passing grade for the season that tied for the fourth-worst in the NFL. He’s a limited passer who isn’t going to spark an explosive passing attack, as evidenced by his 57.2 passing grade on throws of 10-plus yards that season (third-worst).
If he were to take over the job, the Colts' attack would likely rank at the bottom of the barrel in the NFL.
That, however, isn’t looking like it’ll come to fruition. Head coach Frank Reich has decided to roll with Eason — the 122nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft — as the team’s starter until Wentz can return.
Eason's arm immediately jumps out. The 6-foot-6 quarterback has easy zip on the ball and looks like he could be a franchise quarterback when throwing freely. The biggest concern with him, and one of the reasons he wasn't drafted on Day 1 or 2, was his performance under pressure when leading the Washington Huskies. Back in 2019, he completely collapsed against real-deal pass-rush units, earning a 29.4 passing grade when knocked off rhythm. And when under pressure in general, he posted the second-worst negatively graded throw rate in college football.
Throw in the fact that Eason will have a second-string left tackle and guard protecting him to start the regular season if he holds the QB1 spot, and it makes that flaw even more of a concern. The big arm is there, and he was effective when standing clean and in rhythm at the college level, but his pocket presence and play under pressure are likely going to be too detrimental to overcome.
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