Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that he hopes a winner of the team's quarterback competition emerges sooner rather than later.
Following a 23-19 preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers in which both Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones experienced highs and lows while logging 11 throws apiece, Steichen's decision is poised to come a little later than Saturday -- though he believes he's nearing one.
"Obviously, you've got a quarterback battle, you've got two first-round draft picks," Steichen told reporters postgame. "When they both came in, I made it very clear that this is gonna be a battle, and they're gonna compete for the job. Like I said, I'm gonna make the decision that I feel is best for the football team.
"I'm very close, I'll say that. I'm very close."
Jones got the nod against Green Bay despite Richardson's start last week being abbreviated due to a finger injury.
He played quick and within Steichen's system, throwing for 101 yards with a 93.4 passer rating on 7-of-11 passing. However, Jones still showed some of the yips-like passes he showcased as a Giant, especially on a bad miss deep to tight end Tyler Warren that could have have resulted in a massive third-and-long pickup. Still, he made a number of precision passes and fit a tight one in to Warren during a much-improved second drive.
Jones' two possessions resulted in only a field goal despite Indianapolis picking up 77 net yards on the second time out, leaving the QB with nine points over seven combined preseason drives.
Richardson relieved Jones for Indy's third possession and led three in total. He finished with a worse passer rating (75.2) and fewer passing yards (73) on 6-of-11 passing, but he also had the throw of the day, a 38-yard dot to Anthony Gould after shaking off a pass rusher, which was wiped away by an offensive offsides call.
That play ultimately won't show up in the stat sheet, but in the preseason where it's all practice and preparation anyway, such accuracy from a QB who has struggled in that department won't go unnoticed.
Like Jones, Richardson was quick in his decision making and missed a few throws, but he also added a clutch 9-yard run on third down to keep an eventual touchdown drive alive before a defensive holding call gave Indy an extra 5 yards.
The former No. 4 overall pick led the Colts to a touchdown and field goal, respectively, on his first two drives, and through five preseason possessions overall has quarterbacked the team to 13 points.
"I thought he did a nice job," Steichen said. "He had that one really good drive there. I thought he did some good things. … Some things to clean up as well, but I thought he made some good plays out there."
Given Jones and Richardson each put good and bad on tape Saturday, just as they have for most of camp and through two preseason contests, nothing that took place against Green Bay likely tilted things drastically one way or the other in Steichen's mind.
Instead, the Colts coach is leaning on the entire process to come to a decision, looking at every variable beyond just throwing the ball.
"The operation, the communication in the huddle, the checks, getting guys on the same page, the consistency of all that obviously is going to play a big factor in this," Steichen said.
Now in mid-August, the Colts seem to have two QBs capable of running the offense Steichen wants to see despite dealing with inconsistencies signature to both of their careers.
If it's close at all, Richardson would seem to have a tiebreaker as the Colts' homegrown first-rounder with a yet-unknown but tantalizing ceiling.
Regardless, Steichen will put whomever he thinks equals the most wins under center, and he'll reveal who that is very shortly.
"Yeah, I feel pretty clean when I make that decision," he said when asked if he has any more clarity on the situation. "Again, when I make this decision, I'm going to do what I feel is best for this football team."
