Daniel Jones notoriously won the Indianapolis Colts much-hyped quarterback battle, but the decision wasn't one that many fans celebrated. Jones emerged the victor over Anthony Richardson, the embattled QB who was the Colts' first-round draft pick in 2023, despite being a very raw project.
The Colts have consistently preached patience with Richardson, banking on his sheer talent, athleticism, and potential to eventually outweigh his inexperience and issues with accuracy and efficiency.
That exact mindset is why so many were shocked when the Colts seemingly gave up on Richardson in favor of a quarterback who is not much better than Richardson himself, rather than a more capable QB.
Colts QB1 Daniel Jones is one mistake away from getting benched
For his part, Richardson seems to be handling the news as well as he can be - publicly, at least - while behind closed doors, it seems he could be considering a trade. But new comments from head coach Shane Steichen could give Richardson some hope - while also putting a lot of pressure on Jones.
In recent media comments, Steichen insinuated that the Colts are doing what they should have done from the beginning: letting Richardson sit back, learn, and grow, and ultimately, have the opportunity to become QB1 again. "He's 23 years old," Steichen said. "He's still learning, still growing, and for the first time in his career, this is an opportunity for him to sit at the start of the season and learn in a different light and attack it the right way."
Steichen also said Richardson has handled the news "like a pro," and that he has promised to continue working hard.
"I talked to him yesterday in the office, and he was great. He just said, 'Hey man, I'm going to continue to work,' and I said, 'You're one play away.' He said, 'You're right, I'm one play away.' So he's been great," he said, adding, "We're going to continue to develop [him] in the meeting rooms, on the practice field, fundamentals, details. [I told him] still go through your process like you're going to be a starter."
These comments give a lot of hope for Richardson's future, particularly if he continues working hard and learning. After all, he did show improvement during training camp and in the preseason, making it seem possible that he could one day put it all together and become the elite quarterback fans hope he becomes.
But for Daniel Jones? Those comments must fill him with dread.
It's already known that if Jones is injured, Richardson will step in for him. But what if he doesn't play well enough? We already have a glimpse of what will happen from last season's debacle, when Steichen benched Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco.
Then, as he has now, Steichen argued that Jones gives the Colts the best chance to win right now. Flacco was said to be the starter for the rest of the season, but that experiment went horribly; the Colts continued struggling and losing games, and Flacco's performance was abysmal. Fans celebrated when Steichen reversed course and restored Richardson to QB1.
So what does this tell Daniel Jones? Fans can easily infer that if Jones struggles, like Flacco did, and the Colts aren't winning, he'll be benched and Richardson will get another chance at QB1. Richardson being "one play away" doesn't seem to only refer to an injury, and the message has been sent to Jones: he better play well, because he's just one mistake away from being benched.