No surprise here, but the Indianapolis Colts’ competition at quarterback was named a top-five training camp battle to watch this summer.
ESPN’s Ben Solak recently put together his top storylines for NFL training camps. One of the categories was camp battles to watch, and among the five that Solak listed was the Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones competition.
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“If Richardson can throw unimpeded during training camp, we have ourselves a real battle,” wrote Solak. “Jones, who signed a one-year deal in March, is a known commodity — a low-end starting quarterback with some rushing ability but little arm talent to elevate a passing game. Richardson, who has missed 17 games with injuries in his first two seasons, still has the requisite physical talent to not just win the starting job but also become a highly dangerous NFL QB. Since he’s younger (23) and far more naturally skilled, the Colts want him to win the job.”
Solak continued, “Jones did play under a strong offensive mind in Brian Daboll while starting in New York, but he never enjoyed such a talented cadre of pass catchers as he does now: Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell and rookie tight end Tyler Warren. While it’s unlikely Jones suddenly becomes a top-tier quarterback, he can be a capable point guard for such a dangerous group.”
As both Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard have said, this is an open competition between Richardson and Jones. Unfortunately, that was put on hold with Richardson missing most of OTAs and minicamp with a shoulder injury, although a recent report says he will be “good” for training camp.
With Richardson sidelined, Jones took almost all of the first-team reps during the on-field portion of offseason programs, and Steichen was “very pleased” with what he saw.
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Jones’ performance and Richardson missing time in early June won’t be what determines the quarterback battle. However, Jones likely enters training camp with the upper hand, and Richardson will have to hit the ground running.
As Steichen has mentioned, ultimately, the most consistent of the two will be the Colts’ Week 1 starter.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones competition a top training camp battle