Throughout the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback battle between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson was one of the most buzzed-about stories in the NFL. Head coach Shane Steichen announced that not only would the two be evaluated during training camp, but they would switch off during preseason games as well, before he ultimately chose which one would be named QB1.
After both preseason games, most fans and analysts alike seemed to believe Richardson would be the obvious choice. He has more of an upside than Jones does and seems to have shown improvement.
Being that Richardson was a very recent first-round pick, the thought was that the Colts had too much invested in Richardson to just give up on him. But, in a huge shock, that's exactly what Steichen did.
Steichen announced this week that Jones would be the starter through the season, though he continued to claim the Colts aren't giving up on Anthony Richardson yet. How this decision will play out for Indianapolis won't be known for a while, but it wasn't a move that anyone saw coming - including a star wide receiver.
Amon-Ra St. Brown does not seem impressed with Colts QB Daniel Jones
Amon-Ra St. Brown is a rising star wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, and though his career is still relatively young, he's already making a name for himself. He's been named to the Pro Bowl three times, has set multiple franchise records, and has been named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month.
His older brother, Equanimeous St. Brown, is also a wide receiver, and the two host a podcast together.
On the latest episode, the two were discussing quarterbacks, so it's no surprise that the Colts' situation was mentioned. And like everyone else, Amon-Ra St. Brown was shocked to hear that Jones had been named the starter.
“To me, it was a shocker: Daniel Jones was named starting quarterback for the Colts over Anthony Richardson, who was in his third year,” he began. “A guy that got drafted, I think top five for the Colts, in his third year, like... all right, let’s bench him.”
While Equanimeous St. Brown seemed not to care too much either way about the news, Amon-Ra couldn't hold back on his surprise, and even seemed to throw a little shade Danny Dimes' way.
“Low key, I was like, damn," he said. "We were in the locker room. We just got out of practice, and one of my teammates was like, ‘Bro, did you see that Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback?’ I was like, ‘That is crazy.’ If you actually think about it, how he jumped around from different teams, and now he’s a starter again.”
It's interesting that Amon-Ra's shock doesn't seem to be directed as much at Richardson as it is at Jones. While Jones may be the safer option in that he is marginally more accurate (and let's be clear - it's not by much), he's also, at absolute best, bland.
He cannot make big, explosive plays, and he can't run the ball or scramble to avoid a sack. The offense will almost certainly be more limited and less versatile with Jones at the helm, but, you know... it'll be safer.
And Jones' own record is not one to get excited over. He had one good season, and overall, he just... has not been a good quarterback. As Amon-Ra pointed out, he's bounced around from team to team, struggling with almost all of them, but now he's landed in Indianapolis and is being made a starter. It's not exactly a move that makes a whole lot of sense.