Colts open 2024 training camp with a fierce QB battle between Anthony Richardson & Daniel Jones. With the team fully healthy, who will win the starting job?
StatPro NFL Beat Reporter
The familiar sounds of whistles and colliding pads returned to Grand Park, but everything about this Indianapolis Colts training camp feels different. A new era of ownership has dawned, a fierce quarterback competition is commanding center stage, and perhaps most shockingly, the team enters the grind remarkably healthy. For a franchise at a crossroads, the path to the 2025 season begins now, and the questions are as big as the expectations.
It was a daily battle... It messes with your head, but I put in the work to be ready.
The main event at Grand Park is undeniably the quarterback competition. On one side, you have Anthony Richardson, the dynamic playmaker looking to prove his shoulder is fully healed and that he's the long-term answer. On the other, the steady veteran Daniel Jones, brought in to provide stability and push for the starting job. Head coach Shane Steichen has a monumental decision to make. Every throw, every read, and every leadership moment will be scrutinized as the two signal-callers, who worked together with receivers this offseason, vie to lead this offense.
In what might be the most welcome news out of camp, GM Chris Ballard confirmed the Colts will start with zero players on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. This is a massive win. Key defenders like Zaire Franklin (ankle) and Samson Ebukam (Achilles) are avoiding the list and expected back soon. Even players who ended last season with serious concerns, like Richardson (shoulder) and receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back/knee), are progressing well. Pittman himself described his recovery as a 'daily battle' but expressed full confidence in his readiness for Week 1, a sentiment that breathes life into the offense.
Beyond the QB drama, two new faces are set to have an immediate impact. First-round pick Tyler Warren, the tight end out of Penn State, is already turning heads. The Colts desperately needed a playmaker at the position after a lackluster 2024, and the 14th overall pick is expected to be a primary target from day one. On the other side of the ball, new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is installing his system. After years of success in Cincinnati, his aggressive, multiple-front scheme could be the key to unlocking the potential of this defensive unit.
Looming over everything is the monumental shift in the owner's box. Following the passing of the beloved owner and CEO Jim Irsay in May, his three daughters have assumed control of the franchise. While continuity is the message for now, this transition marks a new chapter. The performance of the team this season will be under a microscope, as GM Chris Ballard and Coach Shane Steichen are now working to impress a new generation of Irsay leadership and secure their own futures in Indianapolis.
With a clean bill of health, an infusion of new talent, and the most compelling quarterback battle in recent memory, the Colts are a team brimming with intrigue. The next few weeks will provide answers, starting with the first preseason test against the Ravens on August 7. As the new ownership era begins, the pressure is on to turn these promising storylines into wins.
