The Colts decision to name Daniel Jones their starting quarterback over the incumbent and fan favorite Anthony Richardson Sr. has been one that has been met with heavy scrutiny.
Colts quarterback coach Cam Turner has gotten some flack for his role in the organizational failure in Richardson’s development, but he’s also been at the center of the positional battle during training camp.
In speaking to members of the media for the first time since the team officially named Jones QB1, Turner revealed the main reason behind their choice.
“The consistency is just not where we wanted to be,” Turner said about Richardson, who’s had his share of ups and downs both in his career and this summer.
The 23-year-old has been inconsistent in two main departments: passing accuracy and availability. Through two seasons in the NFL, Richardson has completed only 50.6% of his career pass attempts, including a 47.7% completion percentage in 2024. While he’s been able to make the big, explosive plays, Richardson has struggled mightily to make the easy, routine throws in the short game.
The inability to take the “gimmes” played a real factor into the Colts decision to make him the backup. But they also knew that if he was named the starter, there was no guarantee he would make it through the season healthy.
Richardson has appeared in 15 out of a possible 34 NFL games in his two seasons. Simply put, Jones provides more stability than Richardson.
“You know what you’re getting,” Turner said about Jones. “You trust the decision-making and then the accuracy has been very good.”