Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has announced his plans for quarterbacks Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones to begin the 2025 NFL preseason. Steichen has confirmed that Richardson will start the Colts' first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, and Jones will start the team's second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
Against the Ravens, Richardson will play a quarter and a half, followed by Jones finishing out the remainder of the half. These roles will switch against Green Bay.
Now, although the former Duke Blue Devil is beginning the preseason on the bench in favor of Richardson, that isn't the case in terms of the Colts' depth chart. Hilariously, when Indy released its first depth chart of the preseason, the quarterback position reads "Daniel Jones OR Anthony Richardson." Every other position on the depth chart lists the players in order; however, it looks like a heated QB battle is brewing in Indianapolis.
Both former top-ten NFL Draft picks, Richardson and Jones are trying to revive their careers as NFL starters after rocky beginnings. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, Jones was released by New York midway through the 2024 season.
Although, Richardson likely has much more pressure on him to perform and retain the starting job. Indianapolis selected Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and it's been a rocky beginning to the former Florida Gator's career.
Injuries over the past two seasons have hindered Richardson's progression, as he missed the final 13 games of the 2023 season with injury and missed six games in 2024. He was also benched at one point in 2024 after signaling to come out of a game because he was too tired to run the offense.
Monitoring the QB battle in Indianapolis will be one of the most intriguing stories to follow as NFL training camp rolls along. One can expect that the Colts would like to keep their former top-four pick in as the starter full-time, but with a capable signal caller in Jones sitting right there, the leash might be very short for the third-year QB.