Colts coach says Daniel Jones is ‘doing a helluva job’ with QB battle extended to training camp

The Indianapolis Colts will host one of the most fascinating quarterback competitions of the preseason, but one signal-caller is currently sidelined due to injury while the other is making quite the impression on his new team. Anthony Richardson is nursing a shoulder injury that held him out of minicamp and has no timetable for return, while free-agent signee Daniel Jones is attracting the praise of coach Shane Steichen. 

“Very pleased with what we got right now,” Steichen said of Jones, per CBS4 Indy. “He’s been doing a helluva job. Really smart football player. Learned the offense very quickly, making really good decisions out there through OTAs. Obviously, we want to carry that over to training camp, but he’s done a really good job. Great command in the huddle. Ultimate pro.”

Jones is likely rejuvenated by this change of scenery. The former No. 6 overall pick of the New York Giants landed a four-year, $160 million extension in 2023 on the heels of a career year that included a road playoff victory, but he then hit a wall, going 3-13 as the starter while throwing 10 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions before his mid-season release last year. 

Maybe Jones can find success in a more stable situation, such as Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold did. Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said the team did their homework on Jones. 

“We did our due diligence, calling around background-type stuff,” Cooter said. “With any player we bring in here, we try to do the background and make sure we know sort of what kind of guy we’re bringing in, what his work habits are like, preparation, leadership, communication, teamwork. He’s been as advertised, with the work habits and the preparation and going about his business just day-in, day-out … We’ll come back in training camp and we’ll learn a ton about him … that’ll be a really, really fun process. But he’s done a great job thus far and really sort of lived up to the billing.”

Given Richardson’s injury, it’s probably fair to say that Jones is the early leader in this quarterback battle.