This QB 'is probably more equipped' to be Colts' Week 1 starter

Per Bobby Kownack of the NFL's website, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen insisted shortly after his club's 23-19 preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday that he was "very close" to naming either Anthony Richardson Sr. or Daniel Jones the Colts' Week 1 starting quarterback. 

For an article published on Monday afternoon, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated addressed Steichen's mindset regarding Indianapolis' regular-season opener versus the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 7. 

"Right now, I’d say Jones is probably more equipped to be that guy, and the quarterback who’ll give Steichen what he’s clearly said he’s looking for," Breer wrote. 

Breer suggested that the competition for the Indianapolis starting job changed after Richardson suffered a dislocated right pinkie when he took a huge hit in the club's 24-16 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 7. 

"The play Richardson dislocated his finger on in the preseason opener in Baltimore was pretty revealing," Breer explained. "The result, of course, was unfortunate. However, it was also the result of Richardson — in his third year in the offense — failing to recognize the pressure, or that he was hot, and not unloading the ball quickly as he’d be expected to. Jones hasn’t been perfect, either, but I would say, based on what I’ve heard, he’s been less prone to mistakes like the one above by Richardson."

Fox Sports shows that Jones completed 17-of-32 passes for 245 yards over his first two preseason appearances with the Colts. To compare, Richardson connected on eight of 14 attempts for 94 yards across a pair of exhibition contests. 

Breer's update indicates that Steichen believes Richardson is making the same types of mistakes that resulted in the 23-year-old missing 17 out of a possible 32 games (minus a two-week benching last fall) over his first two pro seasons because of injury setbacks. That said, Steichen may wait to see how his signal-callers perform in Indianapolis' preseason finale at the Cincinnati Bengals this coming Saturday before he names his Week 1 QB1.

"This is a critical year in Indy," Breer added. "There’s been an ownership change. The head coach is in his third year and hasn’t made the playoffs. The GM (Chris Ballard) is in his ninth year and hasn’t won a very winnable division, with just one playoff win (seven years ago) on his ledger."

In short, Steichen and Ballard may feel they can't trust Richardson to play well or stay healthy as the coaching staff begins preparations for the matchup versus Miami.