This very much feels like Anthony Richardson’s last chance to start for the Indianapolis Colts. Nothing against Daniel Jones, but if they’re in a tight-knit race to start Week 1, it’s a sign that Richardson’s probably already one foot out of the door. I don’t think the Colts would entertain trading him this season, but it’s not likely he plays for the Colts again if he can’t win the starting job.
Jones may have improved from his miserable tenure with the New York Giants, but if the Colts are once again noncommittal on Richardson, that’s spelling doom for the third-year quarterback. According to Pro Football Talk, Shane Steichen still wants more to evaluate before making a final decision.
The hope of the Colts is that both players actually get better from a quarterback competition. But that’s a hard sell when it comes to Richardson, who’s struggled since his rookie season and Jones, who needed half of a season off to mentally recuperate.
The Colts aren’t in a great position, but anybody other than Richardson starting Week 1 for the Colts would all but seal his time in Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Colts are afraid to do what they may end up having to do anyway
This quarterback battle makes it feel like the Colts are just dragging Richardson along. They don’t want to trade him because if he shines elsewhere, they don’t want to regret giving up on him too soon. But at the same time, they are refusing to give him the chance to develop before throwing him out there again.
The Colts shouldn’t have a quarterback battle. They either need to rock with Richardson and let him go through the ebbs and flow of a season. Or they need to start Jones and use this as an opportunity to let Richardson truly prepare to be the starter in the future without the pressure to produce results.
Indianapolis might end up parting ways with Richardson anyway, why not do it now? If this quarterback battle really will determine if Richardson stays or not, it feels like the decision is already made. They’ve played around with Richardson essentially his entire career. If he hasn’t shown them anything more than what they’ve already seen at this point, he isn’t going to.
Which means the Colts will probably end up parting ways with him anyway. They’re afraid to make the decision they’re going to have to anyway, so why not capitalize on his potential before he runs it into the ground?