With Week 1 of the NFL preseason almost upon us, the Indianapolis Colts have released their first "unofficial depth chart" for 2025. Many will look to the quarterback position as the training camp battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones heats up. Unfortunately, those fans will not find any answers, as the Colts are keeping things intentionally vague.
The starting QB is listed as follows, per ESPN's Adam Schefter: Daniel Jones OR Anthony Richardson Sr.
Colts first “unofficial depth chart” of the season lists their QB position like this: “Daniel Jones OR Anthony Richardson Sr.” pic.twitter.com/nSlD7kq8NK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2025
This is easily the saddest QB competition in the NFL right now, made all the more sad by the lack of a distinct frontrunner. It's one thing for the Colts to light a fire under Richardson, their 2023 first-round pick, by bringing in a more established alternative. But to earnestly consider Daniel Jones — and for him to sometimes appear like the tentative favorite — is a red flag. Jones does not exactly have loads of NFL success under his belt.
Colts refuse to clarify QB race as preseason Week 1 arrives
The Colts will kick off the NFL preseason against the Baltimore Ravens at 7 PM E.T. on Thursday, Aug. 7. That should give us our first sense of who is leading the pack among Colts quarterbacks. While the team refuses to designate either Jones or Richardson as QB1 right now, the quarterback taking the first snap on Thursday will emerge — at least in the sphere of public perception — as the current frontrunner.
It feels like Indianapolis is bound to opt for the perceived "stability" of Daniel Jones at the end of the day. If Shane Steichen is comfortable benching his 22-year-old quarterback for 40-year-old Joe Flacco, a new alternative with even a hint of long-term upside is sure to make life even more difficult on Richardson. Jones, himself a first-round pick in 2019, is only 28 years old. He theoretically has a lot of football left ahead of him.
We are all interested to see how Jones looks away from the purgatory of New York Giants football, but he only has one full season with fewer than 10 interceptions. In his last 16 starts, spread across 2023 and 2024, Jones has 10 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, eight fumbles and 59 sacks. Not exactly the most encouraging trend.
So I'm not sure the more veteran option is all that much safer, even if Richardson's high turnover rate has been the defining feature of his brief NFL tenure.
Colts' QB conundrum has fans dreaming of Arch Manning
This is where it all leads, no? At least for the more optimistic members of the Colts fanbase. Fine, the team is bad right now and this quarterback room is destined to fail, one way or another. But at least there is Arch Manning, eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, with the appearance of divine providence.
The Colts waited 14 years between drafting Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, their last franchise-changing quarterback. In 2026, it will be 14 years since Luck arrived in Indianapolis. So if the Colts stumble into the No. 1 pick, there will be some awfully compelling synergy between his arrival in Indianapolis and that of his uncle, who is a Colts legend and a Hall of Fame quarterback.
While it's a tad premature to give up on the Colts' current QB room entirely (especially on Richardson, who is a one-percent athlete) this does feel bleak. If one more bad season is all it takes for another Manning to take up the quarterback mantle in Indy, however, fans will gladly accept it.