Analyst predicts who will win Colts' QB competition between Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson

A report from Thursday revealed that Indianapolis Colts third-year quarterback Anthony Richardson "is believed to have recovered" from the setback that caused him to be shut down from throwing after he experienced pain in his surgically-repaired shoulder on May 29. 

Thus, Richardson could rejoin the competition for the Indianapolis starting job that also involves free-agency signing Daniel Jones at some point after veteran Colts players report to training camp on July 22.

For a piece published on Friday, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated explained why he believes Jones will start more games for the Colts than Richardson through Week 18 of the upcoming campaign. 

"The former Giant gives third-year coach Shane Steichen three things he loves: mobility, accuracy and an aversion to turnovers," Verderame explained. "In New York, Jones averaged 31.1 rushing yards per game along with only 47 interceptions across six years. He also completed 64.1% of his attempts. Richardson has thrown 13 interceptions in 15 games with a 50.6 completion rate in two seasons."

Critics of Jones may point out that he went 3-13 over his final 16 starts with the Giants before the club showed him the door last November. That said, he guided Big Blue to a playoff berth and a road postseason win during the 2022 campaign. 

According to Pro Football Reference, he ended that season ranked sixth in the NFL among qualified passers with a 62.9 adjusted QBR. Per the StatMuse website, Jones was also fifth among quarterbacks with 708 rushing yards for that campaign. 

As for Richardson, injuries limited him to just 15 starts out of 32 games (minus a two-game benching last fall) over his first two pro seasons. It's unclear ahead of the third weekend in July if he'll play in Indianapolis' preseason opener at the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 7.

"Sneakily, Jones might be solid in Indianapolis," Verderame added. "Steichen is an excellent play-designer, using motion and leverage to create space. The Colts also have a terrific back in Jonathan Taylor, who is coming off a year with 1,431 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, and two quality receivers in Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. They also have a first-round tight end in Tyler Warren, who caught a nation-high 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight scores for Penn State."

As of Friday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook continued to have Richardson at -120 betting odds to start Indianapolis' Week 1 game versus the Miami Dolphins over Jones (-106 odds). Verderame seems convinced bettors should take a flier on Jones before the Colts face the Ravens next month.