As Shane Steichen sat at a table in a makeshift media center during the NFL Owners Meetings in late March, he laid out criteria on which he'd decide who his starting quarterback would be for the 2025 season.
"You look around the league, the teams that are in the playoffs, quarterback play was consistent there," Steichen said. "So that's what we're looking for is consistency at that position. Everyone's hunting that."
Steichen has been, well, consistent for months in his messaging regarding the Colts' quarterback competition between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson Sr. It's a fitting word for the third-year head coach – consistency is one of Steichen's four pillars, the things he demands from not only his players, but from himself.
"You've got to be consistent, take care of the football, make good decisions with the football and really move your offense down the field," Steichen said at the start of the Colts' offseason program in April. "The guy that's the most consistent doing that will win the job."
When Steichen again met with Jones and Richardson at the start of training camp, he again emphasized "the consistency of the operation, just moving the football up and down the field."
And on Tuesday, when Steichen named Jones the Colts' starting quarterback for the 2025 season, he again focused on the thing he's told us is his priority all along.
"You guys heard me talk about the consistency and that's really what I was looking for," Steichen said. "The operation at the line of scrimmage, the checks, the protection, the ball placement, the completion percentage, I think all that played a factor in it."
Jones heard Steichen from the moment he signed as a free agent in March.
"My mindset was just to try to be as consistent as I could every day, make progress growing my understanding of the offense and understanding of what coach wants and what he sees in this offense," Jones said. "I tried to keep that my focus, that'll stay my focus going forward."
In 69 career starts with the New York Giants (2019-2024), Jones completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 14,582 yards with 70 touchdowns, 47 interceptions and a passer rating of 84.3 with 15 rushing touchdowns. The Giants went 24-44-1 in those starts; Jones' top moment came when he filleted the Minnesota Vikings' defense for 301 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-24 Wild Card playoff victory in 2022.
Steichen on Tuesday pointed to Jones' success in 2022, and also said he believes the 28-year-old quarterback can take his game to another level with the Colts in 2025. Jones, while he finished the 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings, has never taken a snap for an NFL team other than the Giants, who drafted him sixth overall in 2019.
Steichen, too, noted the infrastructure Jones is now a part of, which features a Pro Bowl running back (Jonathan Taylor), several established (Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce) and up-and-coming (Adonai Mitchell, Tyler Warren) pass-catching options and an offensive line Pro Football Focus projects as the fifth-best in the NFL.
"The behind the scenes stuff that people don't see with Daniel Jones is his work ethic, the way he connects with his teammates, the operational stuff like I said at the start of this thing, in the huddle, the communication, the checks, all of that," Steichen said. "And I think we've got a good group around him overall. Our football team offensively, the weapons we have, that I feel that he can be successful in it."
Jones' teammates have appreciated his work ethic and attention to detail since he arrived in Indianapolis a few months ago.
"The time that he puts in — he's always watching film, he's here early," Pittman said. "He has such an established routine. And being able to learn with him, there's been times in camp where he's watching film and then I walk in and he's teaching me stuff about hey, the defense is going to do this, expect this, if they do that, do this. So just the little stuff like that to bring me to that next level too."
"Smart football player, very demanding at quarterback," Mitchell said. "He'll tell you what he wants you to do and it's an open dialogue there. His work ethic is phenomenal. So just looking forward to carrying that through the season."
"He's a guy who's always in the building, watching film, doing something for his body, something like that," Warren said. "It sets a good example for everybody in the organization."
While Steichen said he will not have a "quick leash" on his starting quarterback, Jones said he understands he'll have to perform at a high level on a week-to-week basis. Steichen was pleased with how the competition between Jones and Richardson elevated each player; Steichen praised Richardson's development in being more consistent throughout training camp.
Ultimately, though, Steichen's decision came down to, as he said, "what I feel is best for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025." And if you listened to what Steichen had been saying for months, what's best for the Colts in 2025 is consistency at the quarterback position.
"I think consistency, operation, moving the ball, being consistent on a daily basis," Steichen said, "I think Daniel Jones has done that."
News & Notes from Tuesday's practice
- Jones, in his first practice working exclusively with the Colts' first-team offense, completed several passes to tight end Tyler Warren. He also linked up with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell a few times, including on a deep ball that went for a touchdown.
- Wide receiver Alec Pierce (groin) and cornerback Kenny Moore II (knee) both returned to practice.
- Cornerback Xavien Howard, who signed as a free agent on Monday, was worked into the Colts' defense during practice.
- Wide receiver Josh Downs (hamstring), safety Nick Cross (hip flexor), running back Tyler Goodson (elbow), cornerback Jaylon Jones (hamstring), defensive end Kwity Paye (groin), defensive end Samson Ebukam (back), linebacker Jaylon Carlies (ankle) and tackle Braden Smith (groin) did not participate.
