At 2-6, Why Is Shane Steichen Sticking With Daniel Jones?

It’s time to investigate for malpractice, no?

Shane Steichen is deciding to stick with Daniel Jones as the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback, he told reporters Monday. Apparently, getting whooped 42-7 in Jacksonville after 21 games with Jones was not enough to convince Indy’s fourth-year coach to make the same change he made after 10 starts with his first draft selection. 

I’m not here to say Jones is the whole problem in Indianapolis, but you’re wrong, Shane. Jones is halfway through the least-efficient season of his eight-year NFL career. In eight games, the veteran quarterback has career-lows in completion rate (60%) and passer rating (68.7), with just five passing touchdowns against nine interceptions and 12 total turnovers. Since signing with Indy, Jones has scored 30 total touchdowns against 17 interceptions.

Steichen explained his decision by mentioning “it goes back to the preparation and the command he has of the offense”, doubling down saying that he believes Jones gives the Colts the best chance to win right now.

Somebody slam the buzzer, because once again, you’re wrong. Indianapolis sits at 2-6 after four consecutive defeats, coming off their worst performance in Duval County. The Colts have lost 13 of their last 15 games dating back to the 2025 collapse, while Jones has lost nine of his last 11 starts. Reminder that Richardson is 8-7 in 15 career starts.

The Colts have already begun the fire sale, trading cornerstone All-Pros Quenton Nelson (2027 third, 2028 fifth) to Seattle and DeForest Buckner (2027 fourth) to San Francisco for future draft compensation. Whatever playoff aspirations that remained by Halloween have effectively disappeared overnight. The Colts have waved the white flag in 2026, so there is a legitimate argument to start Anthony Richardson in the final year of his rookie contract. 

I was in attendance for every training camp practice at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, and will start off by saying the continued concerns were obvious. Richardson struggled with handling snaps, pre-snap reads and the finer details of operating an NFL offense. 

Jones was absolutely running Steichen’s run-pass-option offensive scheme better, with the starters of course. Richardson was stuck competing for the backup job while playing with the second unit, and sometimes with the third unit. Indy’s lack of development with Richardson will at some point be a talking point on what exactly not to do with a first-round QB.

Those concerns haven’t magically disappeared, but at some point, the young quarterback has to get out of timeout and learn on the fly. Remember how rusty Richardson looked after essentially losing his rookie season? That’s how rusty Jones looks now and it’s midway through the season. 

Development demands playing time, and Indianapolis has done very little to give its former fourth overall pick a legitimate opportunity to get out of the dog house. Richardson offers a different look that Jones simply does not have off a torn Achilles. 

Richardson’s athleticism, mobility, arm strength and capability to threaten defenses with his legs and his arms is something that opponents “foam at the mouth at” when facing the Colts today. Those are the words from star running back Jonathan Taylor after the punishing loss on Sunday. 

Sure, Jones is more comfortable running play-action and run-pass-option concepts that have become Steichen’s bread and butter, but this scheme is not producing results. The Colts allowed six touchdowns on Sunday, while their offense has scored just five touchdowns combined over the last four games. 

Jones is getting pulverized, struggling to push the football downfield and repeatedly putting the defense in short fields with too many turnovers. There’s Indy’s $100 million financial commitment to Jones from 2025 through 2027, but at this point, that investment can’t continue to dictate who plays quarterback. Ed Dodds needs to pull a Moneyball style trade to send either Jones or Richardson to Baltimore, so at least he will do what’s best for the organization moving forward. 

The Colts have four games before their bye week, with the struggling Dallas defense coming into town. Steichen might believe Jones gives Indianapolis the best chance to win right now, but the better question is why is Jones given a different leash than Richardson, who was benched after 10 NFL starts.