In a grammar discussion, “the subject is nominative” is commonly accepted among specialists. If a disputant accepts it, the same rule is also conceded by that person.
If both agree that Zayd is the grammatical subject in “جَاءَ زَيْدٌ,” applying the rule yields Zayd's nominative case.
If they disagree about which word is the subject in a different sentence, merely repeating the general rule is insufficient. The identification of the subject still requires support.