For the Indianapolis Colts, there is one story everyone is following: who will be their starting quarterback on Week 1? The choices are between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, who have both struggled through their NFL career so far. Jones was signed specifically to compete with Richardson, and so far at OTAs, both have been doing a decent job at showing some potential for the upcoming season, largely thanks to rookie Tyler Warren.
The goal, according to head coach Shane Steichen, has been for Jones and Richardson to split reps during OTAs. But that will no longer be an option, as Richardson has now been injured, and will be out past minicamp.
Steichen announced that Richardson exacerbated his old shoulder injury, and though he won't need surgery, he will be out for the foreseeable future.
"Doctors, trainers checked it out. He's got some aggravation in his AC joint. So we're gonna sit him out this week. Obviously, he'll sit out for minicamp. We'll see when he comes back. Not gonna put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we'll ease him into throwing, and then we'll go from there. The good thing is he's not gonna need a procedure right now."Shane Steichen
Richardson suffered a nasty shoulder injury during his rookie season, for which he had to undergo surgery. With that same shoulder being an issue yet again, it is proving that general manager Chris Ballard was right to bring on another quarterback capable of leading the team; one of the reasons Ballard said Richardson needed competititon was because of his inability to stay healthy through an entire season.
The question now is what this will mean for Richardson's future. Though he is undeniably talented and has almost unlimited potential, he has not proven to have the accuracy and consistency to be an NFL quarterback. This season was likely his last chance to prove himself in Indianapolis, and what's sad is that - according to Steichen - he had been showing improvement so far at OTAs.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating, but he is in good spirits,” Steichen said. “He was in a really good spot. He was throwing good. The meetings were good.”
What makes things worse is that Steichen had heavy praise for Jones' performance, too.
“He’s been great. … Acclimating to the offense, learning it, the system. Obviously, a smart guy, understands it, he’s picked it up,” Steichen said. “He’s a veteran guy that comes in early, late nights, does all the right things.”
Will this mean Jones has effectively won the QB1 position and Richardson's career in the NFL is over? Only time will tell, but it looks a little bit more likely after today.