The Indianapolis Colts don’t have a desirable quarterback situation. There are two players on the roster that will compete for the starting role: Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.
Obviously, the Colts would love for Richardson to win the job as he was the fourth-overall pick back in 2023. But, considering he was benched last year and had a paltry 44.7% completion percentage, any optimism should be mitigated.
And Dan Jones is, well, Dan Jones. Everyone knows what he is at this point. He can play a little bit, but he’s also not going to lead you to the promised land.
Ballard said both guys will compete
General Manager Chris Ballard said in Monday press conference that Richardson and Jones will compete for playing time.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be bad before you can be good at playing this game,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to struggle before you can be good, all right? We’ve got two guys that have had some really strong flashes and have had some bad moments, too, and that’s OK. I think both of them will be better because of this, and I think the team will be better because of it. You know, competition brings out the best in everybody, and I think we’ll see that.
The Colts have just kicked off voluntary offseason workouts, and Ballard wants to emphasize patience. He also thinks that the team is likely to use both of them at some point this season.
“To sit here a day before we even start the offseason and have a vision of how. … You don’t want to begin with an end in mind. We’re not gonna do that. It’s like the draft. You don’t want to begin with an end in mind. You’ve got to let things play out the way they should and compete and who gives the team the best chance to win. Look, if I’m a betting man, at some point, both of them will help us.”
Are the Colts open to drafting a QB high?
The Colts currently hold the 14th-overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. There are plenty of experts that see the team drafting a tight end in the first round, while others note that the defense couldn’t tackle anyone last year.
But, considering the lack of great options at quarterback, could the Colts spend a first- or second-round pick on a signal caller in the Draft?
“If there’s a player that we deem is worthy of it, absolutely, yeah,” Ballard said. “Why wouldn’t we? Yeah.”
Would that be a three-player quarterback battle at that point?
“Sure. If you want to write that story, you can.”
Regardless, Ballard knows that he needs to start winning some games quickly. The Colts were 8-9 last season and didn’t end the season on a high note. That includes a 45-33 end-of-the-year drubbing at the hands of the lowly New York Giants. With so many holes, nothing will be entirely surprising with the Colts as they enter this week’s draft.
Colts QB Competition Begins