Daniel Jones gets first reps at QB1 for Colts in competition with Anthony Richardson as training camp opens

The incumbent did not have honors in the Indianapolis Colts quarterback competition. 

Per The Athletic's James Boyd, Daniel Jones got the first reps at QB1 on Wednesday during the first 11-on-11 drills at Colts training camp. Jones and Richardson then split reps between the first- and second-team offenses, but Jones got more total reps for the first team, according to the report. 

Jones and Richardson also ran simultaneous passing drills that provided a true side-by-side comparison of the quarterbacks.

The reps were the first look at what promises to be one of the NFL's most intriguing quarterback competitions as the No. 4 pick from the 2023 draft is at risk of losing his job to a quarterback the New York Giants benched then released midway through the 2024 season.

Of course, who gets the first practice reps at QB1 is a long way from who starts in Week 1. But it is notable that the new guy got the first looks with the starters over the guy who's been there for two years. 

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The good news for Richardson is that he appears to be recovered enough from an offseason shoulder injury to start training camp without throwing limitations. 

Colts GM makes interesting choice of QB comparisons for Richardson

Wednesday's practice session arrives a day after Colts general manager Chris Ballard addressed Richardson's future in a news conference. Richardson's career is off to rocky start. He's been plagued by injury and inaccuracy, and his performance prompted the Colts to open up a quarterback competition prior to his third NFL season by signing Jones in the offseason. 

Despite that, Ballard declined to call this a make-or-break season for Richardson when asked. Though the examples he used didn't exactly inspire confidence in Richardson's future as a Colt. 

"Do you think people regret Baker Mayfield's timeline, Sam Darnold's timeline?" Ballard said. 

Mayfield and Darnold, of course, revived their careers as NFL starters after the teams that drafted them in the first round gave up on them. Maybe they weren't the best examples for Ballard to cite. 

Ballard went on to expand on the comparison.

"Sometimes you've got to have a little patience with a guy and let them grow through things," Ballard said. "If you just know this guy — no, he can't do it. But if you think, hey, he's on the right trajectory, why are you gonna flush him just because people outside think you should flush him. 

"I don't agree with that. I think we need to give Anthony every chance to be the best he can be. I think he can be really good. But things have got to come together."

Justin Casterline via Getty Images

Richardson's upside is tremendous. He's part of the next evolution of athlete at quarterback. He's 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds and possesses game-breaking running ability and a massive arm to match. He led the NFL with 14.4 yards per completion last season.

It's why the Colts rolled the dice in drafting Richardson at No. 4 despite his lack of proven ability at the most fundamental element of playing quarterback — completing passes. 

Richardson completed just 53.8% of his passes in his only season as Florida's starter. That number's regressed since he's joined the NFL. Richardson completed just 47.7% of his passes in 2025 to drop his two-season NFL completion rate to 50.6%. 

They're numbers an NFL starting quarterback can't survive, and they're the reason a quarterback in Jones who's already an established draft bust is in camp splitting first-team reps with Richardson. 

Ballard says that 2025 isn't a make-or-break season for Richardson. But it certainly seems like it is for his time with the Colts.