Anthony Richardson Reflects on Losing Colts' Starting QB Job to Daniel Jones

Anthony Richardson owned his shortcomings after losing Colts' starting quarterback battle.

Anthony Richardson opened up on losing the Colts' starting quarterback battle to Daniel Jones. / Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Colts tabbed Daniel Jones their starting quarterback over Anthony Richardson earlier this summer. After drafting Richardson with the No. 4 pick in 2023, Richardson will begin his third season on the bench.

Indianapolis plans for Jones to be the starter throughout the season. Though the Colts say they haven't given up on Richardson, things clearly have not gone to the plan they had when they took him top-five in the draft.

Between injuries, inaccuracy and moments of immaturity as a quarterback, Richardson has yet to become a consistent quarterback the Colts feel they can trust each week. Looking back, Richardson acknowledges it was up to him to keep the starting job, not let Jones claim it.

“Man, you can’t let nobody come in your house and eat your food without permission,” Richardson said of Jones to James Boyd of The Athletic. “That’s just the way I think about it. They brought him in to come do a job and take a job. … Ultimately, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I can’t let anybody come in here and take over what I’ve got going on.’ But then again, I can’t think about that."

“It’s everything you could think of, bro,” Richardson added to Boyd. “Extra film, like even if you’re watching film with other quarterbacks or in the QB room with the coach, that’s not enough. Doing more of that, talking to coach [Shane Steichen] more, understanding the offense more, being around the guys more. … Everything that you can control, that’s pretty much what I needed to improve on.”

Richardson was open about some of his shortcomings, and he's particularly working on stepping up his accuracy and leadership. Per Boyd, this past offseason Richardson spent significant time working on the short and intermediate passing game. On the leadership side, he told Boyd he could take time with different position groups more often, or ask defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo questions to better understand what he's doing defensively.

Going forward, Richardson will be focusing on controlling what he can to get another chance. While he's experienced bad luck with injuries, he knows there is plenty he can do to improve to become the unquestioned starter.

“I just gotta get better and improve in (every) aspect," Richardson said, "so them [naming me QB1] will be easy."

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed