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Indianapolis Colts players Daniel Jones (17) and Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) throw passes during the Colts training camp at Grand Park on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Westfield, Ind. Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Insider Takes Swing on Colts' Week 1 Starting QB

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Jared Koch | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 6:22 PM ET

Rolling into this upcoming NFL season and training camps now upon us, the number one storyline for the Indianapolis Colts has centered upon what this team has in store for the quarterback position between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, and who will wind up taking the reins of this offense as the eventual Week One starter.

At this point, the final outcome appears widely up in the air. Having just over a month to go until the NFL season kicks off, Shane Steichen and the rest of the Colts staff have more than enough time to sort through their signal-caller decisions. Three preseason games and the bulk of camp still lying ahead will certainly help provide that added clarity.

But in the eyes of NFL insider Dan Graziano of ESPN, now with a few training camp practices under the Colts' belt, he foresees the battle eventually shifting in one direction.

Graziano recently predicted some of the top quarterback competitions taking place across the NFL rolling into this regular season, where, for the Colts, he named Richardson his pick to take those first starting snaps.

"I know Jones appears to have taken over the No. 1 spot on the depth chart after Richardson's spring injury, but training camp is where Richardson looks the best -- if he's healthy, he's likely to outperform Jones on the practice field," Graziano wrote, "The Colts also have a lot more invested in Richardson, and if it's a close competition, most people I talk to believe that will tilt things in his favor -- at least to start the season. Whether he can stay healthy enough or play well enough to hold the job is another matter entirely."

If Richardson does wind up with the keys to the offense in Week One, there's certainly a few factors he'll have to prove he can keep in check on a consistent basis, but perhaps the most critical of the bunch might be staying on the field. 17 missed games due to injury across the past two seasons don't bode well in anyone's favor, and one more year of the same tune for Richardson might be the nail in the coffin for his time as a starter in Indy.

But to begin the year, the route for Richardson to start might make the most sense. His ceiling within the Colts' offense is far higher than what Jones presents, the team has far more invested in their former fourth-overall pick, and as the incumbent starter from last season, pinning him in as QB1 off rip is a much better aid for his confidence entering the year.

If Richardson does inevitably falter or get sidelined due to injury, then there's a clear opening for Jones to take control, but if Richardson is healthy, on the field, and showing strides forward in his development from where he finished his second season, that starting nod might inevitably be in his favor.