Why Colts’ Jacob Eason is in most favorable situation among rookie QBs

It was no secret that the Indianapolis Colts were going to target a quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft. With Andrew Luck suddenly retiring in the prime of his career without much notice at all, the Colts were left with Jacoby Brissett at the helm.

Brissett has proven to be a capable signal caller, but he’s better suited as a backup rather than the full time starter. The Colts front office realized this and went out and acquired veteran quarterback Philip Rivers this offseason.

Rivers had a bit of a down season in 2019, throwing 20 interceptions and posting his worst QB rating in three years. At 38 years old, he obviously wasn’t brought in to be the long-term solution at quarterback, the Colts addressed that when they drafted Washington’s Jacob Eason in the fourth round of the draft.

Of all the quarterback entering year one in 2020, Eason arguably has the most favorable situation. For starters, he’ll be learning behind two pretty solid quarterbacks. Rivers, a potential future Hall of Famer, and Brisset, who’s had his fair share of success in the NFL.

While Eason has all the physical traits you’d like to see in a franchise quarterback, arm strength, size and pocket mobility, he struggled immensely when throwing under pressure last season. It’s probably the biggest reason he fell all the way to the fourth round.

Luckily for the Washington product, Rivers has made a career out of improvising and playing behind subpar offensive lines. According to Pro Football Focus, Rivers has a had a bottom-10 pass blocking line in front of him for this entire past decade, and he’s still made six Pro Bowls since 2010.

If there’s anyone who can help Eason with his development when under pressure, it’s Rivers.

Rivers and Brissett aren’t the only valuable assets Eason will have the luxury of learning from either. Head coach Frank Reich, a former quarterback himself, runs one of the most QB-friendly offenses in the NFL.

He helped get Nick Foles ready for an unprecedented Super Bowl run back in 2017, and he had Luck playing at an MVP level in the lone season he got to coach him. As a young quarterback, Eason should benefit greatly from having Reich as his coach. He’s one of the best in the business.

Jacob Eason may not get playing time early on, but that’ll likely help in the long run. Don’t be surprised if three years down the line if he is the best quarterback from this year’s draft class.

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