Daniel Jones may be the Colts’ starter, but the quarterback who enters training camp with the most to lose is Anthony Richardson.
Indianapolis opens camp next week, and the roster churn is already in motion. For some players, this is about locking down a role.
For others, it’s about surviving the final cut. At quarterback, the picture is clearer at the top than it is anywhere else: Jones is set as the starter.
What he shows after coming back from last season’s Achilles tear will matter plenty, because the Colts are counting on him to look like the quarterback who was among the league leaders before that injury.
Still, Jones’ job is not in danger. The real heat sits lower in the depth chart.
Richardson and Riley Leonard are the names to watch in the only true quarterback battle on the roster, and that competition gives the camp storyline its edge. Leonard has a real shot to win the backup job, which means the pressure on him is obvious.
But Richardson’s situation is heavier. He’s the former first-round pick, and his first two seasons did not go well.
Since the Colts added Jones last year, Richardson has already been pushed back far enough that he may have lost the starting job in Indianapolis for good.
That’s what makes this camp so important for him. Richardson is not just trying to reclaim a starting role.
First, he has to beat out Leonard and secure the No. 2 spot behind Jones. And even that would only be a step forward, not a finish line.
For Richardson, the stakes are more basic than that. His NFL future is still very much in question, and training camp gives him a chance to stabilize it.
If he wins the backup job, that’s progress. If he doesn’t, the uncertainty only grows.
Jones has pressure to prove he can bounce back. Leonard has pressure because the backup job is there for the taking.
But Richardson is the one standing at the crossroads. All he has to do in camp is not give it away.
In Other News...
Colts Swing Tackle Battle May Already Have An Undrafted Favorite
The Colts have a familiar offseason theme playing out again up front, with a cluster of undrafted free agents trying to carve out jobs and, in particular, a swing tackle role that always carries outsized value. Nolan Rucci and Bayron Matos are among the young tackles in the mix, and Indianapolis has given itself reason to believe it can keep finding useful pieces in that part of the roster by developing linemen who arrive without much draft pedigree.
Rucci, in particular, is drawing the kind of attention that can turn a camp battle into a real roster conversation. His physical traits and upside have put him near the front of the pack, and the Colts track record with undrafted offensive linemen only adds to the intrigue. The question now is whether that promise shows up quickly enough for him to become a trusted swing tackle before the roster starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Got Pulled Into Another Quarterback Debate Fans Dread
The Colts have spent enough time in quarterback uncertainty already, so it is no surprise that another outside suggestion would land with a thud. Bleacher Reports latest idea tied Indianapolis to Minnesotas J.J. McCarthy as a possible backup option, a move that would only add another young passer to a room already trying to sort out where Anthony Richardson fits and how much stability the team really has behind him.
McCarthys profile does not exactly scream clean solution, either. He has battled injuries, is still trying to prove he can hold down an NFL job, and comes with a contract that would ask Indianapolis to pay more for a quarterback who might not be any more settled than the one already on the roster. With Riley Leonard also in the mix, the Colts may have a cheaper and simpler answer in-house, which is why this latest quarterback link feels less like a fix and more like another reminder of how unresolved the position still is. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Steichen Just Gave Colts Fans A Troubling Alec Pierce Update
Alec Pierces offseason has taken a more complicated turn than the Colts probably wanted when he went under the knife in late March to address an ankle issue he had been playing through. Shane Steichen said the wide receivers target is to be ready for Week 1, which at least gives Indianapolis a clear benchmark, but it also leaves the team waiting on a player who has become an important part of the passing game.
The uncertainty matters because Pierce was expected to use the offseason to get back on track, not spend it rehabbing a surgery that has already pushed his timeline into the summer. For a Colts offense trying to build continuity, every missed practice rep counts, and the closer this recovery gets to the start of the regular season, the more the team has to think about how it will manage his workload if he does make it back on time. [Read more 🡒]