Stampede Blue
The never-ending carousel will continue as Daniel Jones is set to become the eighth different Week 1 starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts over the last nine season openers.
Indianapolis’ QB competition started in OTAs and spanned through 13 training camp practices at Grand Park and two preseason games. Colts head coach Shane Steichen ultimately determined the conservative veteran who signed in free agency is better equipped to operate his offense than the first player he advocated to draft.
The New York Giants released Jones after a 2-8 record through 10 starts last season. Jones received a second lifeline to revive his aspirations as an NFL starter and seized the enormous opportunity that was presented when he signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts on March 11. The 28-year-old bet on himself to win the starting job and his decision to embark on a fresh start was validated in Steichen’s press conference Tuesday.
“That was obviously a big piece of why I came here,” Jones told reporters. “To play, to be on the field, and to be with this group. I think it’s a strong group of players as I said, and a strong group of coaches with the system. I think there’s a lot of things here to be excited about. So yeah, I’m certainly happy I made the decision I did.”
The Anthony Richardson experiment is over. Indianapolis envisioned developing a player with unlimited potential when Richardson was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Colts knew Richardson’s developmental process would be a roller-coaster of peaks and valleys, but the organization pulled the plug after just 10 NFL starts. Richardson had more than two years to master Steichen’s system, but it’s the second time the Colts chose to bench him in favor of a veteran free agent acquisition.
“I guess you could say somewhat surprised, but at the end of the day, we all knew somebody was going to have to be on this end of the stick,” Richardson said. “It was me. I feel like I did improve. My improvement was there, but there are still ways I can improve. There are still ways I can become a better player (and) become a starter in this league.”
Steichen made it clear this would not be a short-term decision either, stating “He’s our starting quarterback for the season,” after naming Jones the starter. Indy’s third-year coach preached consistency was the key to winning the QB1 battle and it’s fair to say Jones was more consistent than Richardson over the course of the offseason program through training camp. Jones took all the first-team reps during veteran minicamp while Richardson was shut down due to an aggravated right shoulder. Jones also had to enter in relief just six offensive snaps into the preseason opener after Richardson misunderstood the pass protection, which resulted in a sack and a dislocated pinky.
It’s clear Richardson still needs more reps to develop as a passer, but those...
