The Seattle Seahawks claimed quarterback Jacob Eason on Wednesday, a day after he was waived by the Indianapolis Colts.
Eason joins his hometown team to bolster its quarterback depth while Russell Wilson recovers from finger surgery. With Wilson on injured reserve, the Seahawks now have Geno Smith and Eason on their 53-man roster as well as Jake Luton and Danny Etling on their practice squad.
A fourth-round pick out of Washington in 2020, Eason appeared in one game this season, completing 2 of 5 attempts for 25 yards and an interception while replacing an injured Carson Wentz in Week 2. He didn't see the field as a rookie. The Colts waived him after activating rookie quarterback Sam Ehlinger off injured reserve.
Eason (Lake Stevens) and Luton (Marysville) are from neighboring towns north of Seattle. According to the Seahawks' website, they played on the same flag football team as kids before facing each other in high school and college, Eason at UW and Luton at Oregon State.
Wilson has to miss at least two more games before he can return from IR. It's not clear if the Seahawks plan to have Eason or Luton -- who has more familiarity with their system -- back up Smith in the meantime.
Luton, who was signed before the season opener, was elevated from the practice squad last weekend to back up Smith in Seattle's overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's since reverted back to the practice squad and can be elevated one more time before the Seahawks would have to sign him to their 53-man roster in order to have him available to play.
The Seahawks had an open roster spot after waiving cornerback Tre Flowers last week and thus did not need to make a corresponding move to fit Eason.