Colts QB Room Considered One of NFL's Worst

The Indianapolis Colts begin training camp workouts today, and all eyes will be on the stiff competition to start at quarterback between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. This isn't the spot Indy wanted to be in after the conclusion to the 2024 season, but here they are.

Richardson essentially fell apart as a starter, hitting on only 47.7 percent of passes while appearing overwhelmed and turnover-prone. Along with the on-field struggles, Richardson also missed six games due to injury and tapped out of a game against the Houston Texans for being tired.

In short, Richardson doesn't look like a starter in the NFL to this point. This grim reality is further detailed by Alex Kay at Bleacher Report, including the Colts' QB room among the worst in the league.

Kay starts with Richardson, and pulls no punches.

"That decision (to draft Richardson) has haunted the Colts for the last two seasons as it's become painfully clear Richardson just isn't an NFL-caliber passer. The signs were there ahead of the draft—he started only one full season at Florida, a campaign in which he completed a paltry 53.8 percent of throws—but the hope was he would be able to develop that part of his game enough to complement his incredible athleticism and rushing abilities."

Richardson still has time to do the impossible and catch up to Jones, but it doesn't look promising.

Richardson's rushing ability won't ever be a concern, but that's not what makes a quarterback starter-quality; it's the ability to throw the football effectively. Richardson's passing struggles are weird, as he can hit the hardest throws possible, but not the simple ones.

When it comes to short, intermediate, sometimes even open tosses, Richardson has shown a propensity to sail the ball or outright dirt the pigskin. If Richardson continues these issues, he won't beat out Jones.

As for the former New York Giants leader, Kay doesn't let him off the hook, providing an honest evaluation of his six year career.

"Jones' up-and-down tenure with the New York Giants came to an acrimonious end last season. While he caught on with the Minnesota Vikings following his release, the 2019 first-rounder didn't see the field in the Twin Cities. Jones is now set to play for Indy on a one-year, $14 million "prove-it" deal, a rather generous contract given his recent production and injuries."

Jones' career win-loss record is an eye sore, sitting at an ugly 24 wins, 44 losses, and a draw. Jones' numbers are of a quarterback who doesn't take many chances, with 14,582 career passing yards on 1,437 completions. This equals about 10.1 yards per completion.

However, Jones might operate Shane Steichen's offense better than Richardson can simply because he's more accurate (64.1 career completion percentage) and limits turnovers. Jones likely has a significant lead as the starter, meaning Richardson has a lot of catching up to do.

The Colts are facing a pivotal training camp that can morph this team moving forward, and the Richardson vs Jones battle takes precedence.

Whichever field general eventually gets the nod to lead the offense will have immense pressure to perform riding on their shoulders.

Recommended Articles