Bruce Arians shares expectations for Colts QBs Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones

“Daniel [Jones] is going to push [Anthony Richardson]. He’s gonna really push him.”

World-renowned quarterback whisperer Bruce Arians joined local Colts media member Jeffrey Gorman for the debut episode of Colts.com’s High Volume podcast. The show in question is hosted by Gorman as he reconnects with Colts legends from the past and present.

During this pilot episode, Arians reminisced on his football career, covering topics from his time under legendary ball coach Bear Bryant, various successful stints with big-time quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, and Ben Roethlisberger to name a few, as well as his time with the Indianapolis Colts.

After the two were through recollecting the good times, Gorman began picking Arians’ brain about the modern-day Colts, and in true Bruce Arians fashion, the discussion pivoted to that of the quarterback room.

Colts third-year quarterback Anthony Richardson seemingly has his back against the wall as he heads into the latter half of his rookie contract. After two years in the NFL, Richardson still has to prove himself as the franchise’s quarterback. The front office’s emphasis on bringing competition to the quarterback room has permeated throughout the offseason after signing Daniel Jones and will likely trickle into Day 3 (rounds 4-7) of the NFL Draft as the Colts seem poised to continue adding to the room.

As for what Bruce Arians feels about the state of the Colts quarterback room, it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, Arians provided a ringing endorsement of Daniel Jones, the 6th overall pick of the 2019 draft. He mentioned how he thought Jones ‘would be special’ and gave him the benefit of the doubt after dealing with a detrimental offensive line and subpar supporting cast during his time in New York.

“Daniel [Jones’] first win was against us [Tampa Bay]. He threw some balls in there and I said, this guy is gonna be special. He took off on a 20-yard run up the middle to beat us. We actually did miss a field but.. I thought the kid had it. He is athletic, smart, and accurate,” Arians said regarding Daniel Jones. “I think he got the hell beat out of him up there in New York with that offensive line and not having the premier skill players around him, but I think he is a great talent.”

On the other hand, Bruce Arians’ thoughts on Anthony Richardson sang a different tune. It wasn’t a criticism that suggested disbelief in Richardson, but rather, it was as if Arians’ takeaways of him as a prospect had progressed in a way that proved inevitable dysfunction.

For starters, Arians begins his sentiment by sharing that he never thought Richardson should’ve declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. In fact, Arians said that he believed Richardson should’ve stayed in college for two more seasons, which would make him a part of the current draft cycle.

“Anthony I think needed two more years of college.. as a passer, not as an athlete. He’s a great athlete. But as a passer, I didn’t see him coming out being able to beat anybody in 2-minute & 3rd down, and that’s where you win in the NFL. If you can’t win 3rd down and 2-minute you’re just an average guy,” Arians explained. “I don’t care how good you run, you don’t run the ball in 2-minute as a quarterback. You throw it and command the game.”

To some fans, this may seem like Arians is kicking a young quarterback while he is already down. On the contrary, it reads to me like Arians was once intrigued by the prospect of Anthony Richardson, but since he landed on the notion that he should’ve never declared, Richardson’s rocky start to his NFL career thus far is both expected and disappointing for Arians to watch transpire.

Since it’s impossible to time travel to test out Arians’ hypothesis, all anybody can do now is hope that Anthony Richardson evolves into the quarterback that Arians envisioned with a couple of more years of experience under his belt. Although he elected to begin his professional career a bit early in some people’s eyes, those pesky two seasons have come and gone. Despite them being more of a wake-up call in the NFL as opposed to a linear development of sorts at the college level, now is the time if ever for Richardson to take a positive step forward, and Arians believes he can do just that with enough work put in behind the scenes.

“I think his growth this year is gonna be huge. I think he’s going to put the work in. He’s got a great reputation as a hard worker,” Arians said about Richardson. “Daniel [Jones] will push him. He’s going to really push him.”

Not many quarterback-related sentiments warrant the coverage that you see here, but when the quarterback whisperer himself speaks, we as a football audience should listen. Perhaps there are faults in Arians’ logic as there is no universal quarterback scripture to abide by, however, when someone has a resume that is littered with quarterbacking success like Arians does, the insight is invaluable.

Thankfully for Anthony Richardson and Colts fans alike, there’s a reality lurking that deems Arians’ sentiments to be true. There’s a lot of work to do, but if Richardson can figure it out, especially in the areas where Arians expressed scrutiny (i.e., 3rd downs and 2-minute drills), those questions and concerns can turn into praise.