The Indianapolis Colts have a real problem. They have two quarterbacks vying to be the starter, neither of whom has proven they should hold that position in their careers. The team should hope that Anthony Richardson wins the job simply because he was a first-round choice in 2023.
Indy hasn't put as much into Jones. He was a first-round bust with the New York Giants, and while he was given every opportunity to start in New York, he failed. The Giants are still a bad team, but they thought they might be slightly better after letting Jones walk during the 2024 season.
In the first half of Indy's second preseason game, he showed why. It isn't that Jones doesn't like to throw deep. The problem is that he doesn't have the best deep ball in the league, or even on his own team. His offenses haven't been overly explosive because the quarterback won't allow them to be.
Daniel Jones missed opportunity should have decided the Indianapolis Colts quarterback battle
On the Colts' first drive against the Green Bay Packers, and on 3rd and 13, Jones had a receiver streaking down the sideline to his right with about five yards between him and the defender. Daniel Jones could have laid the ball up with air underneath it and led the receiver. Instead, Jones overthrew the receiver by about eight yards.
To earn the starting spot with the Colts in 2025, a quarterback can't let opportunities pass by. With Jones, it isn't the plays he will make, but the ones he doesn't. He might have gone seven for 11 passing, but he should have been eight for 11 with likely a touchdown as part of that. So, his raw numbers will look decent, but the team needed him to do more, and he should have.
In two drives, Jones's offense scored three points. That isn't good enough, especially when six points were there for Jones's taking.
Anthony Richardson entered the game in the second quarter, and while he didn't make any splash throws initially, he appeared to be calm and understood what the offense needed. He led the team to a touchdown drive (one full of penalties, and many on the Packers) on his first drive. That alone should have decided the quarterback battle entering the season.
Ultimately, whoever head coach Shane Steichen decides to start at quarterback shouldn't come down to what Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones do, but what they should have done and don't.