Colts reveal one reason Daniel Jones won QB competition over Anthony Richardson Sr.

Newly-named starter Daniel Jones has become somewhat of a forgotten figure regarding the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback situation that includes Anthony Richardson Sr. being the subject of trade rumors following his latest demotion. 

Both Colts head coach Shane Steichen and current backup signal-caller Riley Leonard recently touched upon why Jones won the competition for the Indianapolis QB1 gig.

"He made some plays in training camp, some checks, some protection [adjustments] to get us in the right situations to hit some big plays that were huge for us," Steichen said about Jones, as shared by Stephen Holder of ESPN. "Those things are going to come up in the game, and I feel very confident in his abilities to get us into the right plays."

Critics of Steichen's decision may point out that Jones largely played poorly as he went 3-13 over his final 16 starts with the New York Giants before they showed him the door last November. Neither Jones nor Richardson looked like a top-tier quarterback over the first few weeks of August, but it seems as if Jones is the superior option for the Colts as it pertains to handling the pre-snap portion of the job.

"With [Jones], I think a lot of the time you'll see the most simple play in the world be executed, and I'd say 70 percent of quarterbacks would've never got us into that play," Leonard explained. "But if you're watching it on TV, it's, 'All right, boom, we ran the ball for five yards.' Well, if we were in the play that we would've run, we would've lost 10 yards on that play and be punting on this drive. But nobody knows that. You don't see the bad stuff because, with Daniel, it doesn't happen as much."

Such comments could raise eyebrows after it was previously reported that Richardson was temporarily benched last fall in part because the Colts wanted him to become "a much more prepared quarterback." Steichen and Co. clearly believe Jones will learn everything possible about the Miami Dolphins' defense before Indianapolis hosts Miami for a Week 1 showdown on Sept. 7. 

"He's literally the first guy in the building every day," Leonard added about Jones. "One of the last guys to leave. And I never see Daniel at his locker, on his phone or just hanging out. He's always doing something. Every time I walk into the film room, he's there watching film. He's so dialed in."

As recently as Wednesday, Colts general manager Chris Ballard insisted that the team isn't trading Richardson and instead hopes that the 23-year-old will benefit from watching how Jones serves as a QB1 behind the scenes. Perhaps that experience will help get Richardson ready to eventually replace Jones if the former Giants starter flops this coming fall.