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Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) works through drills Monday, July 28, 2025, during training camp held at Grand Park in Westfield. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Colts’ DeForest Buckner Weighs In on QB Decision

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts and head coach Shane Steichen made their Week 1 quarterback call official earlier this week with their decision to name Daniel Jones as the starting signal caller , who's now set to lead the way for this offense over Anthony Richardson across the upcoming 17-game season after being brought in earlier this offseason.

A big pivot for the Colts from their 2023 top-five pick in Richardson. It's yet another change at the position entering this season, continuing the trend of constant turnover and adjustments under center for the past several years.

The Colts brass has certainly faced its fair share of criticism when it comes to those recent quarterback qualms. Especially with their latest call to elevate Jones over Richardson, many have questioned that decision from Steichen and Co., wondering if this will be the move that truly elevates this roster and offense to the playoff-level unit they've aspired to build since their last appearance in 2021.

But in the mind of Colts' defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, though, regardless of who the eventual QB1 was called to be, the team was simply ready to hear who would be the one to get that starting nod, ride with whoever that may be, and from there, support them however they could.

“With the big decision with QB1, all the guys, I mean, we were all just ready to hear who's going to be No. 1," Buckner said. "Whoever it was going to be, we're going to get behind him no matter what, you know what I'm saying? Whether it was AR or Daniel [Jones]. Obviously, naming Daniel, we know who's QB1, who we're rolling into the season with, and we're going to get behind him, support him any way we can. What I've been telling the guys is, the best way we can support the quarterback position is everybody around him, defense, offense, special teams, everybody’s got to do their job at a high level, and we could take this thing very far.”

The Colts' quarterback battle was likely the most unpredictable the league had to offer leading up to this season, so the conversation remained persistent around the league throughout the summer, pegging who may be the one to land the keys to the offense.

Inevitably, it'd be Jones getting that call. Now, the focus can finally shift away from the quarterback conversation and onto the season ahead.

And when Buckner was asked about some of his thoughts on the Colts' new QB1 from what he's seen through camp and preseason, he went on to praise a few notable aspects of his game, not just due to his competitive, even-keeled mindset, but also credited his ability to work at the line of scrimmage.

"Yeah, just going against him every day. I mean just, you never know if he's high or low," Buckner said. "He's always the same. He goes up to the line of scrimmage the same guy – calm, cool, collected. He does a really good job with communicating with the rest of the offense and really making the right checks and stuff at the line of scrimmage. So, he's been a great competitor.”

Time will tell if the Colts wound up making the right call on Jones heading into the season, but it's clear Buckner is confident in what this group can put together if everyone's on the same page.