Daniel Jones to Start for Colts vs. Packers, Anthony Richardson to Play amid Injury

The Indianapolis Colts are set to switch things up for their second preseason game next week.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters that veteran quarterback Daniel Jones will start Saturday's game against the Green Bay Packers, and Anthony Richardson will play the remainder of the first half despite suffering a dislocated pinky in the preseason opener. Steichen clarified to Kay Adams that Jones will play "a couple series," while Richardson will see the "bulk of the work" in the first half as he plays through the injury.

ESPN's Stephen Holder reported that Richardson returned to practice on Saturday, just two days after he dislocated his pinky finger on his throwing hand. He reportedly "took his usual workload of reps in the practice," though he "wasn't at his best, completing just 1 of 6 attempts in the red zone snaps during an abbreviated practice."

Jones and Richardson are battling for the starting quarterback job in Indianapolis, so the injury obviously doesn't bode well for the 2023 No. 4 pick. When Richardson went down in Thursday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, Jones had an impressive outing with 144 yards on 10-of-21 passing. The Colts suffered a 24-16 loss, but it appeared that Jones created some separation in the race for the starting role.

Still, Indianapolis isn't giving up on Richardson, who has long been considered a raw talent who needs time to develop. As he enters his third year in the NFL, he showed that he still has a long way to go when he failed to identify a blitz that resulted in a sack by Ravens linebacker David Ojabo that caused his injury.

The Colts haven't made the playoffs in each of the last four years, so Steichen's decision on the starting quarterback will be crucial to their hopes of competing for a postseason spot this season.