It’s shaping up to be a legitimate starting quarterback competition in Indianapolis this offseason.
At the NFL Annual League Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen indicated that incumbent 3rd-year starter Anthony Richardson, as well as recent veteran free agent addition Daniel Jones, the challenger, will initially split offseason reps at the starting quarterback position (via The Athletic’s James Boyd):
While one would think that the Colts still have to hope that Richardson wins the job outright on the merits, this appears to be a legitimate quarterback competition in Indianapolis.
It’s shaping up to be a 1A and 1B situation regarding both quarterbacks vying for the Horseshoe’s seemingly very much open starting quarterback job.
Following his 2-game benching last season for the infamous in-game ‘tap-out,’ Richardson demonstrated some much needed growth and maturation down the season’s stretch before missing the team’s final two starts because of further injury.
However, in addition to the availability concerns, he still needs to improve his consistency and accuracy as an NFL quarterback. That being said, he’ll turn just 23-years-old in May.
Ideally, the Colts need to take 2025 to figure out what they truly have with Richardson, so they can either continue the marriage with him as the next franchise quarterback hopeful, or start pivoting to other alternatives sooner rather than later.
The encouraging news is that both Richardson and Jones have a similar skill-set, so this won’t be the stark contrast in playing styles—and play-calling for that matter, that was Richardson and longtime NFL veteran quarterback Joe Flacco (40-years-old) last season:
Between Daniel and Anthony, you’re going to see a really good competition,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard recently commented. “It’s going to be a spirited competition, but I also think it’s going to be one where they help each other to grow too.”
“And so we thought Daniel’s skill-set, and Anthony’s skill-set. There’s a lot of similarities there. So offensively, I think that’s going to help our offensive staff, so okay, we don’t have to make these wholesale changes with one guy or the other.”
New injury could throw wrench in Pittsburgh Steelers draft plans
The New Orleans Saints could hold the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback draft plans in the palm of their hands.
An injury to quarterback Derek Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler, could vault a quarterback up their needs list, and lead them right to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Carr suffered a shoulder injury and could require surgery, which would doubt his availability for the season, according to multiple reports. The Saints were not surprised by the injury, and had already started doing homework on the top quarterback prospects.
Carr and the Saints agreed to a restructured deal before the start of free agency, and New Orleans could move on after this season. Currently, Spencer Rattler, who started six games in 2024, remains the Saints’ backup.
Sanders is unlikely to go in the top three, but the Saints at No. 9 remain the biggest threat to him falling all the way down to No. 21 to the Steelers. He visited the Steelers on Thursday, calling the visit ‘great’ in his interview with Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
“The Steelers were great. I understand it. I understand why they win so much, why Coach is the way he is. (Mike Tomlin) resembles my dad a little bit. They have the same principles,” Sanders said.
Pittsburgh has put in extensive time scouting the entire quarterback class from the top down. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart visited last week, and early in March, the Steelers hosted Louisville’s Tyler Shough. Syracuse’s Kyle McCord is scheduled to visit next week.
If Sanders goes off the board far before them, it could have reverberations for how the Steelers approach the NFL Draft at the quarterback position. The team is still waiting for Aaron Rodgers’s answer, and has yet to receive a concrete timeline.