Daniel Jones was not meant to play the amount of football he did in the Colts’ preseason opener. Head coach Shane Steichen had planned to give Jones about half of a quarter, with Anthony Richardson Sr. playing the bulk of the first half.
Those plans changed, however, when Richardson took a hit from David Ojabo on a sack, dislocating his right pinky finger in the process. Jones came in earlier than expected, and according to one Colts analyst, was impressive.
107.5 The Fan’s Kevin Bowen thought Jones won’t get enough credit for how well he played Thursday night.
“The stat line for Daniel Jones will not give him enough credit for how he looked on Thursday night. Compared to what we’ve seen at Grand Park, I’d say this was a slightly better version of Jones, especially when you factor in a different opponent/actual game setting,” Bowen wrote. “At his best, Jones hit guys in stride, allowing for some key yards after catch moments. He also showed some of that leg ability…While what happened to Richardson on Thursday has to aid Jones’ cause in this QB battle, the free agent addition also did his own part in making a strong individual impression.”
Jones finished his night 10-for-21 for 144 passing yards, completing five drives. Three of those five ended in field goal attempts with the other two resulting in punts. One drive ended in a touchdown pass which was brought back for offensive pass interference.
“I thought he did some really good things,” Steichen said about Jones’ performance.
If Jones is able to execute effectively with the backup offense like he did in Baltimore, imagine what he can do with the starting unit.
Especially now that Richardson has picked up a knock, Jones is doing everything right to earn the starting job come Week 1.
Still, there’s plenty of preseason left, and Richardson isn’t expected to be out much longer. No matter if it’s Jones or Richardson taking the opening day snaps, Indy can feel secure knowing that Jones can operate the offense when they need him to.
