Sportsnaut
Knowing they needed better results, the Indianapolis Colts brought in what they hope to be stiff competition for Anthony Richardson this offseason by signing Daniel Jones. While the New York Giants were ready to move in a new direction too, Jones is a former first-round pick with an impressive mix of athleticism and football IQ.
Yet, internally, the Colts have to privately be rooting for Richardson, the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, to win the job. Though, to do so, he’ll have to display far more accuracy than he’s shown across his 15 NFL starts. To even do that, he’ll first need to prove to be more durable.
So far, Richardson is off to a poor start.
According to Colts head coach Shane Steichen, Richardson is dealing with another shoulder injury to the same one that required season-ending surgery in his rookie year. As a result, he won’t be able to participate in the team’s mandatory minicamp next week, opening the door for Danny Dimes to get many extra reps with the first-team offense.
Steichen added that he “hopes Richardson can return at some point” during training camp, which takes place from July 25 to August 15. That’s a large range of possible outcomes, but if Richardson can’t return at some point during training camp, then he can kiss his chances of winning the starting job goodbye.
Though, like we’ve seen several times in Indianapolis since Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement in 2012, just because one quarterback begins the season as the starter, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll end the year in that same role.
Related: 2025 NFL QB Rankings: See where the Indianapolis Colts land
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