Colts HC opens up about Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones QB competition

At least some individuals within the NFL believe it's only a matter of time before free-agency signing Daniel Jones unseats 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson as the Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback during a competition that could run through the second half of August.

While speaking with reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen touched upon what appears, on paper, to be a rather uninspiring battle between a castoff and a potential draft bust. 

"It’ll start in the spring," Steichen said about the Richardson-Jones competition, as shared by The Athletic's James Boyd. "They’re gonna split the (starting) reps through spring practice and going into training camp. Really, it’s gonna come down to who’s the most consistent and who’s the most productive. (He) will be the starter."

While Jones' final two seasons with the New York Giants likely give Indianapolis fans little hope he can be a long-term answer at the position, he nevertheless has the better overall resume of the two quarterbacks. After all, he guided the 2022 Giants to a playoff berth and a road postseason win. Meanwhile, multiple injuries limited Richardson to 15 starts over a possible 32 career games over his first two pro seasons. Additionally, he was benched for a pair of contests this past November after he took himself out of a game because he was "tired."

The Colts convinced Jones to leave the Minnesota Vikings in free agency by signing him to a one-year, $14M contract worth up to $17.7M with $13.15M guaranteed. That's a relatively inexpensive price to pay for a possible starter but also beats what Jameis Winston received to be the Giants QB2. 

"He can run the ball with the zone read game," Steichen said about Jones. "Obviously, he can throw the football, as well. His career completion is 64%, which is pretty good. (He) has had some production, won a playoff game, high football IQ — really high football IQ — which is really good. … It’ll be a good competition between (him and Richardson)."

Steichen added that he doesn’t have a timeline for when he'll name a starter. While it's still very early into the process, it sounds like both Jones and Richardson should get one preseason start in August before Steichen announces his Week 1 QB1.