Daniel Jones appears to have the leg up on Anthony Richardson in the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback competition.
That’s due as much to Richardson’s throwing shoulder injury as it is to anything Jones has done on the field.
But the veteran has a chance to seize the starting job and run with it.
NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha thinks Jones can go even a big step further: He writes that Jones will win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
If things break right, Jones is certainly a prime candidate. The Giants cut him midway through last season, and he spent the second half just hanging out and learning from the Minnesota Vikings.
Here’s Chadiha’s full logic:
Jones already walked into a great opportunity in Indianapolis because the Colts gave him a chance to compete for the starting job with third-year veteran Anthony Richardson. There’s every reason to believe Jones can win that battle because Richardson, since arriving in Indy as the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, has been wildly inconsistent throughout his career and even lost his job for a couple games last season. Jones knows a few things about that path — the former No. 6 overall pick was benched and eventually dumped by the Giants last year — but there’s reason to be optimistic about him today. Jones signed with Minnesota after New York released hm, which gave him an opportunity to be around another beleaguered quarterback in Sam Darnold who was turning his career around with the help of a strong coaching staff. Now, Jones gets to work with a creative offensive head coach in Shane Steichen, who happens to be the same man who helped take Jalen Hurts from raw talent to MVP-caliber quarterback in Philadelphia. Steichen likes quarterbacks who can move, and his time with Hurts proved that he could think outside of the box when it comes to maximizing a signal-caller’s strengths. Steichen easily could be the man to take Jones to another level, especially when considering the Colts have better skill players and offensive line play than Jones ever enjoyed in New York. Nobody saw Darnold taking off when he arrived in Minnesota. Jones could do similar things in Indy if he stays healthy.
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Jones was viewed by some as a uniquely special talent when he was taken out of Duke as the No. 6 overall pick.
He showed plenty of impressive flashes in New York, too, including long runs and hot streaks of passing. But his inconsistency was his biggest struggle, and that never fully went away.
The Colts know all about inconsistency thanks to Richardson, so if Jones can prove he’s ready to be a steadier QB, he might be the answer in Indy.
And if he’s on the field and performs, Jones is as strong a candidate as any to be the NFL’s top comeback player.
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