The Indianapolis Colts didn’t sign former disgraced New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to a one-year, $14 million deal to sit behind Anthony Richardson. No, they signed Danny Dimes to come in and immediately challenge the 23-year-old for the starting QB spot.
The signing was relatively shocking. There were rumors that the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams were in play for his services as well, both perceived as ideal landing spots for the inconsistent Jones. But he took his talents to the Circle City instead, holding onto that last thread of starting hope.
Related: It took one practice for Daniel Jones to confirm what Giants fans already knew
Well, after some lukewarm comments from his head coach and some wild predictions he’ll be the starter once Week 1 kicks off, horses might just need to be held all the way back. If Jones thought Richardson was going to make things easier for him by self-sabotaging his own starting chances, the 28-year-old might want to think again — AR is turning heads at camp, and Jones’ starting spot is already under the microscope.
Daniel Jones is already losing ground in Colts’ quarterback competition
Don't look now, but Richardson might have finally stopped making life hard on himself. His short throws are cleaner, the deep balls are dropping in rhythm, and the Colts offense looks like it’s actually built around a quarterback who understands how to run it.
Richardson is coming off his best practice Thursday, hitting on chunk plays, and actually making the short stuff look routine. It feels like he's finally doing... what's expected of a former top-four pick.
This is exactly the nightmare fuel Jones didn’t need. This is what we call in the biz, "no good" for the good-ole much-maligned Danny Dimes. Richardson has gone ahead and slammed the door by looking like the guy Indy hoped they drafted three years ago. The improved diet (no more Skittles), the footwork, the prep, it’s all starting to show up, and unless something derails fast, the “competition” might be over before it really starts.
Per Indy Star's Joel A. Erickson, Richardson has completed 48 of 82 passes with six touchdowns and one pick in full-team work this camp, and he’s 17-of-25 with another interception in 7-on-7 drills.
The accuracy still isn't quite where it needs to be, but I suppose just about anything is better than the 47% of the passes he completed last season. Like, in the real, regular season.
Just look at this absolute dot from AR and tell me he's not the frontrunner:
Anthony Richardson to Ashton Dulin
— The Colts Cast (@TheColtsCast) August 1, 2025
BOMBS AWAY 💣#Colts pic.twitter.com/u8UBSBdlxm
There's just no amount of convincing that Jones has this in his arsenal. He's been allergic to downfield passing for six years, and you know what they say about old dogs...
Jones' path to the starting QB spot is giving him a bit more of an incline than he'd likely admit. This was supposed to be his chance to prove Giants brass wrong, to prove Big Blue was the problem, and not him. Unfortunately, his chances to prove himself are wearing thin with each Ruchardson rep, and if the ascension tells us anything, it's that Danny Dimes might already be on borrowed time.
Who knows how life would have panned out for him had he signed elsewhere. Speculation kills. What we do know is that his decision to rock with the Ponies is already backfiring in a major way.