The Indianapolis Colts are holding an open tryout for their starting quarterback. But according to Field Yates, there is only one option for Indianapolis to start Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.
The ESPN insider urged the Colts to start Anthony Richardson at QB in 2025 over off-season free-agent signing Daniel Jones.
Richardson has made just 15 starts for the Colts since they picked him No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. But he is already on his legs as Indianapolis starter, since the Colts signed fellow top-10 draft pick Jones, after he was released by the New York Giants midseason in 2024.
Why Do The Colts Need To Start Anthony Richardson?
Though Jones, like Richardson, has pedigree as the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Yates believes the Colts need to break out of the league’s muddled middle — where he thinks they will live if they start Jones.
“I think the Colts are stuck in the middle if they start Daniel Jones,” Yates said on “NFL Live” on Tuesday. “Daniel Jones has one stellar season in his NFL career (2022), otherwise we know what he is, which is probably a replacement-level quarterback.”
Even Jones “stellar season,” where New York went 9-7-1 and reached the divisional round, was a function of the Giants’ superstar running back Saquon Barkley’s 1,650 all-purpose-season. Jones threw for 3,205 yards but just 15 touchdowns, even though he ran for 708 yards.
So the ESPN analyst, who also worked in NFL front offices in Kansas City and New England, feels Richardson’s ceiling is much higher, even though we haven’t yet seen it.
“Anthony Richardson has had two mediocre-albeit-injury-impacted seasons in his NFL career,” Yates said. “There’s still a chance — a flicker of hope — that Anthony Richardson still could become a promising young quarterback.”
Plus, Yates rightly points out the Colts have invested significantly in Richardson and cannot afford to give up on him just yet.
“The Colts owe it, not to Anthony but to themselves as an organization to exhaust every resource to figuring out whether they have something or nothing,” Yates said. “This is a player they invested too much in. … You’re in or you’re out. You’re either going down with the ship or you’re not.”
What Did Chris Ballard Say About Anthony Richardson?
The Athletic’s Zak Keefer asked Colts GM Chris Ballard about Richardson’s development. He still believes in the third-year QB.
“I just think eventually Anthonyâs going to be who we think he can be,” Ballard said. “I still believe that. Whether thatâs this year or next, I donât know when itâs going to happen.”
To Yates’ point, Ballard appears willing to stake his job on Richardson to not pan out, even if the QB doesn’t even have a spot guaranteed for 2025.
“Do you have the courage to stay the path when things arenât going right and believe that weâre gonna come out of this thing on the other end in a good way?” Ballard said. “If it doesnât work, it might get my a– fired, but Iâm willing to live with that because itâs the right thing to do.”
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