It’s been a wild ride for Daniel Jones over the last few years. At the end of the 2022 season, he was the hero of the NFL, and New York was ready to worship him as their franchise savior. But in just two years, all of the goodwill is gone. Now, he’s in a competition with Anthony Richardson for the QB job of the Indianapolis Colts.
The precipitous downfall began in 2023, but kicked into fifth gear last season. As a result, he was eventually released and ended up with the Colts this offseason. However, with Richardson battling injuries, there is a chance Jones takes over the starting job in Indianapolis. One analyst, though, isn’t convinced.
Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson Raise Injury Alarm Bells for the Colts
This offseason, the Colts had a clear plan to assess their quarterback room. While Anthony Richardson had shown flashes of potential, he was too inconsistent to reliably become the franchise quarterback. However, general manager Chris Ballard was willing to give him a chance.
As a result, the Jones addition was a clear opportunity for the two QBs to potentially bring out the best in each other and help Richardson grow into the QB1 role. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury has caused him to miss most offseason activities.
It has also promoted Daniel Jones to the starting quarterback role, one he might occupy for the majority of the season. However, for NFL analyst Dan Graziano, who was making his first appearance on ESPN’s Get Up alongside Mike Greenberg, that isn’t a viable option.
“The Anthony Richardson injury opens the door for Daniel Jones to take this job and run with it,” Graziano was willing to concede. “But Daniel Jones played in the league [for] six years, he’s missed games due to injury in at least four of them.”
Graziano isn’t wrong in his assessment. Since joining the league, Jones has just one season playing more than 14 games. Since 2021, he’s cleared the 11-game threshold just once, during an unexpectedly excellent 2022 campaign.
As a result, Graziano believes Richardson can wrestle that starting job back, or even find himself thrust into it regardless. “Anthony Richardson, if he can get healthy, might have an opportunity to take this job back.”
However, he also wanted Indianapolis to consider one more route. “I think the Colts may need to go and add someone else just to protect against two guys that have injury histories.”
Find a Third Quarterback Now? Or Wait?
Since joining the league in 2019 as the sixth-overall pick of the draft, Jones has been a mixed bag. Over the first three years of his career, he was an average quarterback. But his stock took a dramatic jump at the end of the 2022 season.
With his job on the line, Jones had an electric start to the season, leading the Giants to six wins in their first seven games. That eventually turned into a nine-win season, including a Week 17 win that clinched New York a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.
Tallying career highs in virtually every category, the franchise chose him over Saquon Barkley, extending him on a four-year contract worth $160 million. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to just six games in the 2023 season.
Then, 2024 was another brutal year for the Duke product. Before being released, Jones had a 2-8 record on the season with an abysmal passer rating of 79.4. As a result, he ranked 32nd on PFSN’s QB+ metric.
But where the situation gets tricky for Indianapolis is that their other option, Richardson, was even worse. With just 15 NFL games’ worth of experience under his belt, he’s still an extremely raw prospect. And the flashes haven’t been wholly convincing.
While the arm strength and talent are clear as day, he also has a career completion percentage that is just a shade above 50%. Additionally, he has more interceptions than touchdowns so far. Unless he goes through a radical transformation, that isn’t the makings of a starting-caliber QB in the NFL.
Like Graziano laid out, the Colts could look to add a third legitimate name to the list. But, as it stands currently, there aren’t many names available on the market that would offer an upgrade over their current quarterback room.
And, a subpar season could also allow Indianapolis to invest in a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft in what is shaping up to be a deep draft class. The latest mock draft from PFSN predicts a similar scenario, where they pick up Garrett Nussmeier out of LSU.
One down year that allows them to hit a complete reset with a new quarterback with immense potential seems like a better alternative than trying to remain somewhat competitive year after year.
More: Anthony Richardson Injury Update: Colts HC Shane Steichen Breaks Silence on QB’s Condition
