Colts Head Coach Reveals How Team Will Split Snaps at Quarterback in Next Preseason Game

Shane Steichen detailed how much Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones will play in the second preseason game.
Anthony Richardson is battling with Daniel Jones for QB1 this preseason.
Anthony Richardson is battling with Daniel Jones for QB1 this preseason. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
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The NFL's most interesting quarterback competition might be taking place in Indianapolis, depending on your definition of interesting.

The Colts brought in Daniel Jones as a free agent to put the pressure on former top five pick Anthony Richardson and see if the young QB can make a leap in the face of internal competition. From all appearances it is a true competition; if Jones, coming off a release from the Giants last season, can outplay Richardson, then the job is his.

To that point, head coach Shane Steichen announced ahead of the preseason that Jones and Richardson would be splitting snaps during the games, with Richardson getting the nod in the first week. His plan went off the rails almost immediately as Richardson suffered an injury in the first quarter of the Colts' bout with the Ravens. It wasn't serious and the former Florida star quickly returned to practice, but it was fair to wonder if the injury complicated Steichen and the team's plan for the rest of the preseason.

Speaking to Kay Adams on Sunday, Steichen detailed how the snaps will break down between Jones and Richardson when Indianapolis takes on the Packers next Saturday.

"Daniel's starting this week against Green Bay," Steichen said. "But he'll play a couple series and then Anthony will get the bulk of the work for the first half after that."

Steichen went on to highlight consistency as one of the most important factors he's looking at when making his decision for the regular season.

Richardson started 11 games last year and threw for 1,814 yards to go with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions; he added 499 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Jones started 10 games for New York before he was cut, and threw for 2,070 yards, eight TDs, and seven picks. Steichen has quite a choice on his hands.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.