The entire NFL world has been enamored with the quarterback situation developing with the Indianapolis Colts.
When head coach Shane Steichen benched his starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson, the cat was out of the bag that the organization was growing frustrated with their young leader.
After the Florida quarterback returned to the lineup, his play improved slightly, but it wasn't enough to change the Colts' feelings on the situation.
Following the end of the season, the organization committed to bringing in competition to hopefully push Richardson to the next level.
Earlier this month, Indianapolis found that competition in the form of veteran quarterback Daniel Jones.
The former New York Giants signal caller has faced a heap of criticism during his NFL career, but his new team is hoping that two mentally beaten down quarterbacks competing can introduce an iron-sharpens-iron scenario.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones (13) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
General manager Chris Ballard was interviewed by the Colts in-house media earlier this week to discuss the quarterback battle.
When speaking about what he expected from the competition, he said," We're not just bringing in anybody. It had to be somebody that's really going to be able to challenge Anthony, and I think it's going to go both ways. Anthony will challenge Daniel also."
This should be raising red flags in Richardson's mind because while he obviously has an equal shot to win the job, the fact that the Colts consider Jones to be an equal is concerning.
Although the glimpses have been few and far between, the third-year quarterback has shown flashes of all-time greatness in first couple of years.
Ballard also brought up the fact that the two players have such a similar style as the reason for the Jones addition.
There are exceptions, but typically teams want their backup quarterback to play similarly to the starter, that way if they need to be inserted into the lineup, the offense doesn't have to change much.
All of this is alarming news for Richardson because even if he wins the battle during training camp,
Jones will still be on the roster. He will be waiting in the wings to usurp the young signal caller to slip up, if he does, then the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback will be there to replace him.
Related: Would an Anthony Richardson Trade Make Sense for the Colts?
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This story was originally published March 29, 2025 at 6:07 PM.