Minicamp overreaction: Daniel Jones is establishing himself as Colts' QB1

There was plenty of reason to think Anthony Richardson could be the future for Indianapolis when the Colts took him No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. There is far, far less reason to think that now.

That's because Richardson wasn't good in his 11 starts last season. Sure, the Colts went 6-5 in that span, but it wasn't because of Richardson's arm. He completed just 47.7 percent of his pass attempts with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Indianapolis has a roster that could make a playoff run, but the team has a huge question mark at the most important position. But maybe — just maybe — the team has an answer on the current roster at quarterback. And maybe that answer isn't Richardson.

Maybe it's Daniel Jones.

Daniel Jones could give the Colts an upgrade at quarterback

Look, I know Jones hasn't been great in the NFL either, but he's been better than Richardson. As recently as 2022, Jones looked like he might actually be a pretty good quarterback, as he posted the league's lowest interception rate that season while going 9-6-1 as a starter.

But 2024 was bad. After going 2-8 to start the year and throwing just eight touchdowns, the Giants finally moved on from Jones, releasing him. He landed on the Vikings' practice squad, then signed in Indianapolis this offseason.

It hasn't taken him long to make a strong play for the starting job. Take a look at this throw Jones made to rookie tight end Tyler Warren in OTAs.

Jones has even caught the attention of Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who said the quarterback is doing "a hell of a job."

"Really smart football player. Learned the offense very quickly, making really good decisions out there through OTAs," said Steichen, h/t NFL.com. "Obviously, we want to carry that over to training camp, but he's done a really good job. Great command in the huddle. Ultimate pro."

Now, Jones has a bit of an unfair advantage at this point, as Richardson suffered a shoulder issue in minicamp. The good news is that he won't need surgery. The bad news for Richardson, though, is that while he's sidelined, Jones is getting ample opportunities to showcase his ability to be the team's starting quarterback.

And look, it's probably for the best if the Colts want to make a playoff run. This is a good roster, so the chances that Indianapolis bottoms out and lands a top draft pick for 2026 feel slim, even if Richardson is starting and completes under 50 percent of his pass attempts again. Richardson's poor play limits the team's ceiling, but the rest of the roster gives the team a high floor.

So if the Colts want to make a real playoff run, Jones might be the answer. Obviously, his past lack of success has to be accounted for, but how much of that is on the Giants rather than on Jones? New York didn't give him a true No. 1 receiver until last year, and even then, he had a rookie Malik Nabers and then barely anything beyond that.

Jones could very well be the next Sam Darnold. He could also be a complete disappointment. But Richardson simply hasn't shown he can be the guy in Indianapolis, so the Colts might as well start the guy who's been getting the first-team reps in OTAs. At this point, the floor between him and Richardson probably looks the same, while the ceiling is higher simply because we know Jones can actually complete passes against NFL defenses.