Pressure Mounts on Shane Steichen and Colts GM as Daniels Jones & Anthony Richardson Could Get Them Fired

The Colts‘ practice grounds air is thick, but relaxed. A false calm before the pressure cooker cranks up. Shane Steichen stands and listens, headset on hold, eyes scanning silhouettes of playbooks and alignments. It’s a familiar picture, but there’s something different this time. In 2024, the offense found magic in fragments under his leadership. Now, speculation mounts, questions form. It’s a critical third season for Steichen, one that can set the tone for his tenure. As he recently confessed at the 2025 NFL Annual League Meeting, “the quarterback competition—it’s about consistency, clarity, and earning it every single day.” A sentence with unspoken meaning. What remains unsaid, though, is just how razor-thin the margin has become.

The drama playing out is brutal. Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard are coming under growing scrutiny. The Colts’ 2025 preseason has given little comfort. Anthony Richardson, plagued by injuries, is now recovering from a dislocated pinkie and accompanying damage to his reputation after taking that devastating hit. His vulnerability is no longer speculative. It’s a stark, physical reminder of what’s at risk. Chase Daniel spoke on The Rich Eisen Show about the same. He stated, ”It’s a quick three-gate three-step drop play. And all it is is it’s a flat route by the running back. It’s a hitch route by the receiver and a corner route by the tight end.”

In the meantime, veteran quarterback Daniel Jones has joined the fray, adding a complicating factor to what should have been a developmental year for Richardson. The QB derby is no amiable rivalry; it’s a high-wire balancing act with stakes too high to risk. Statistically speaking, the news is bleak for both signal-callers and by proxy, for the decision-makers supporting them. The Athletic‘s 2025 QB tier rankings saw Richardson and Jones at Tier 4 (30th and 32nd of NFL starters). While certain evaluators even relegated Richardson to Tier 5, wondering if he should start. Efficiency models confirm the severity of the problem.

Richardson excels at deep passing and rushing but has completion percentage, turnovers, and adjusted EPA per play bring him down. Jones’s profile, on the other hand, relies on ball security and precision. However, he has low explosiveness and red-zone value, which questions his ceiling. Essentially, Ballard and Steichen have to choose between doubling down on upside or safety, and neither plays much to current confidence.

Adding fuel to the fears is the injury cost accruing on the roster. Rookie cornerback Justin Walley is lost for the season with an ACL injury, and several starters are injured or limited. This causes both sides of the ball to enter a state of chaos that carries over into the rhythm of the offensive scheme. Training camp scraps have yielded glimpses of optimism. Richardson displayed poise and constructed a scoring drive culminating in a rushing touchdown. While Jones demonstrated steadiness in structure, his potential seemed truncated. But preseason play didn’t answer questions—on opening day, both struggled: Richardson at 2-for-3 with that painful sack; Jones was 10-for-21.

Daniel Jones & Anthony Richardson could get them fired

If Richardson’s path is fragile. Daniel Jones’ trajectory bears baggage as well. Jones reports to Indianapolis following a tumultuous 2024 that featured a mid-season benching and waiver release by the Giants. His one-year, $14 million contract represents a low-risk bet, and the Colts were praying his veteran presence could calm the QB room. But early returns are mixed: in his first preseason game. Jones was inconsistent, completing 10 of 21 for 144 yards. He didn’t turn the ball over but couldn’t construct a TD drive. Following a missed read on a straightforward three-step drop scheme, Jones acknowledged that his eyes were in the wrong place. Following the game, Daniel said Colts coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard “can’t afford to have quarterbacks making mistakes like this.”

The trend is consistent throughout the league. Quarterbacks who were once promising but crumble under increasing expectations can take entire regimes down with them. When a front office invests years and dollars in a player who can’t reliably produce, organizational tension is on its heels. Indianapolis now faces that risk with the quarterback position if it continues to be a revolving door of inconsistency. The blame for such will lie squarely with Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard for overestimating both talent and fit.

Richardson’s case is that his availability and development are ongoing works in progress. And being wedded to a regime’s fortunes to a QB with such uncertain qualities can bring down even the best-constructed roster. NFL front offices don’t usually last two straight failed quarterback gambles. And Indianapolis is on its second roll of the dice already.

League observers view this QB battle as the kind that will not carry into September undecided. Steichen and Ballard have pressure that is both real-time and existential. Do they roll the dice on Richardson’s unpolished tools or stabilize the offense with Jones’s game-manager dependability? The solution may decide not only who plays Week 1, but who holds the next clean slate.