Many national pundits assess the Indianapolis Colts the same way. The roster is good overall, but the quarterback position is a complete unknown. Both of the first two options have so far been proven to be first-round busts, and neither is assured of ever proving that moniker to be incorrect.
Assuming the pundits are correct, and, to be fair, their logic makes sense, then Indy could get to Week 3 and realize they need a change at the most position on the field. Daniel Jones is probably going to be meh, and Anthony Richardson might play and be exciting, ineffective, and get injured.
Indy could make a move Colts fans are very familiar with, only this one would improve the team. In past seasons, Indianapolis has rolled out Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, both quarterbacks past their prime and not overly good. Flacco has almost always been a boom or bust player. Ryan just got old fast.
Indianapolis Colts might need to make a play for Kirk Cousins
But the Colts could make an offer to the Atlanta Falcons for Kirk Cousins and the team's quarterback situation would be in safer hands. Some Indy fans might have a little PTSD from Ryan making the move from the Flacons to the Colts, but except for 2024, Cousins has been consistently better entering his late 30s than Ryan was.
Cousins will throw more interceptions than Daniel Jones, but have far fewer mental mistakes than Anthony Richardson. The truth is that Jones doesn't throw a lot of picks because he is afraid of making mistakes. Having a quarterback like that is no way to win.
Richardson can't win, either. Heck, Jones beat him out for QB1 and most teams probably wouldn't have taken a chance on him in free agency. That Indy signed him to a one-year deal with a base value of $14 million was silly by general manager Chris Ballard.
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The issue isn't that Jones might be effective this year, but who Ballard thought he was bidding against. The GM probably could have signed Jones for cheaper, especially for only one season.
Kirk Cousins has a career quarterback rating of 97.4. Jones nor Richardson have had one season nearly that high. Even in 2024 when he started 14 games for the Falcons, Cousins 88.4 quarterback rating is better than Jones or Richardson's career number.
Cousins will get the ball to the Indianapolis Colts abundance of playmakers, and he understands how to work best in a run-focused offense. He will make Indy better, and a slight uptick could be enough for the Colts to win the AFC South. Once the playoffs start, every team has a puncher's chance.