Anthony Richardson Injury Puts Daniel Jones Back on Radar originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Developing a first-round quarterback is a race against time. The Washington Commanders won that race in 2024, with Jayden Daniels blossoming into a star. The Chicago Bears, despite Caleb Williams’ flashes, are now playing catch-up, overhauling the coaching staff in an attempt to optimize their top pick.
There is still time for Williams to justify his draft capital and become a franchise quarterback. But if he isn’t the guy after Year 2, some serious questions must be asked. Those same questions are being posed to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.
A top-five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Richardson is among the most physically talented players on the planet. But a shoulder injury cut his rookie year short, and he didn’t take a step forward in his second season, infuriating coaches with poor misses underneath and an untenable 47.7 percent completion percentage.
Subsequently, the Colts brought in Daniel Jones as insurance. The coaching staff is feeling the heat, and another season lost to Richardson’s struggles could end the regime’s tenure.
Richardson entered the year as the favorite to start, given his talent, draft capital, and the need for Indianapolis to get any sort of return on its biggest investment. However, he recently went down with another shoulder injury, scratching him for minicamp.
As such, the former New York Giants quarterback could win the Colts’ starting job instead of Richardson, especially with the benefit of minicamp and a portion of starting reps throughout the summer. Kevin Clark elaborated on that possibility on ESPN’s “NFL Live.”
“Yeah, you don’t give Daniel Jones $14 million unless he’s in a competition, all right? That’s just the way quarterback salaries work in this league,” Clark said. “He has thrown, Anthony Richardson, 348 passes in the NFL. In his first two years, that is the second-lowest of any top-10 pick in the last 20 years. … So he needs to play more football.”
Jones is getting paid serious money for a backup quarterback. Even if that’s where his true talent resides, it’s a nod toward the expectation that he’ll start multiple games. That’s a safe bet because of Richardson’s injury history, but it also makes Jones a failsafe if the young quarterback struggles.
“I’ve never seen anybody more destined to be in the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback competition than Anthony Richardson because I’m looking at this and I’m seeing a training camp where Daniel Jones will probably start with the ones,” Clark said. “There’s job preservation now going on in Indianapolis with Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard. They’re going to want to get that seven, eight, nine wins in order to keep their job.”
No one is arguing that Jones is more talented than Richardson, and few would muster that the former should start in Week 1. But if Jones can impact the run game while keeping the offense on schedule within structure, he gives the Colts stability Richardson hasn’t shown through two seasons.
Unless Richardson takes a big step forward, the administration will be forced to choose between itself and its prized possession. Less than a year removed from being cut by the Giants, there’s a real chance Jones starts once again in 2025.
New York will not play Indianapolis in 2025.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.