This QB competition has barely begun, but there may be an early favorite per at least one national media member.
According to CBS Sports Jeff Kerr, Indianapolis Colts’ new veteran free agent addition Daniel Jones will eventually beat out 3rd-year pro Anthony Richardson for the team’s open starting quarterback job:
Jones will beat out Anthony Richardson for Colts QB job
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The AC joint injury Richardson suffered in minicamp is concerning, especially considering this injury is in the same shoulder that required surgery and sidelined Richardson for most of his rookie season in 2023. Richardson has been injured and inconsistent since entering the NFL, and will have to prove he’ll be healthy in training camp before winning a competition.
Jones usually flashes in minicamp and training camp, so he certainly could stampede ahead of Richardson in the quarterback competition. While Jones has a questionable track record regarding injuries as well, he’s more accurate than Richardson and gets a fresh start behind a significantly better offensive line than the one he had in New York.
Richardson needs to take command of the offense this summer, or he will be watching Jones start Week 1. His shoulder injury may give Jones the job, especially if Jones impresses with the first team while Richardson is on the mend.
With Richardson being shut down in this offseason’s OTAs, and subsequently not participating in veteran minicamp, as a result of resting a sore surgically repaired right throwing shoulder, Jones arguably has an early lead in the Colts’ open QB1 competition.
That being said, this will be Richardson’s third-year playing in offensive minded head coach Shane Steichen’s system and playbook, so he may have a leg up from that standpoint—as Jones has had a few months not years, to acclimate to his newest NFL offense.
Between the two challengers, one could make the case that Jones should theoretically shine in the Colts training camp practices and through simulated drills—as he’s arguably the more accurate of the two quarterbacks and more likely to checkdown for completions.
Richardson’s latest injury update is no doubt concerning, as he’s more than a year removed from the surgery—and this go around, prolonged soreness may not have been expected.
However, I also believe that his premature demise in this open quarterback competition may be initially exaggerated—if fully healthy again. Richardson made significant strides down last season’s stretch, both on and off the field, leading the Colts to a few game-winning drives—albeit against some of the league’s weaker competition.
If he can improve his accuracy a bit, he’s the more intriguing option of the two players.