Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts QB PREVIEW: How Far Ahead is Daniel Jones vs. Anthony Richardson?

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

The Indianapolis Colts began a quarterback battle this offseason between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, but Richardson's old shoulder injury flared up, putting him weeks behind Jones. What should the expectations be in 2025 for Richardson and Jones?What does the QB room look like behind Richardson and Jones, with Riley Leonard and Jason Bean? Become a Locked On Colts insider! Ask your burning questions and get prompt answers from someone who's around the team every day! Get special access from the locker room, practice field, and press box! JOIN HERE! Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ Follow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram! Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

The Indianapolis Colts offseason is rolling on and you guys guessed it. We're starting our offseason preview series with the quarterback position. We can't go a day without talking this quarterback competition. So let's talk Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson and break down this quarterback position on the Colts roster. Let's get to it. You are locked on Colts. your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, part of the locked on podcast network, your team every day. Thank you all for tuning in and making us your first listen of the day.

This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the locked on podcast network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account and use code locked on NFL for twenty dollars off your first purchase. Hello, everyone. My name is Zach Hicks, your resident film nerd of horseshoe huddle dot com on our boots on the ground. Jake Arthur is with me as always today as well.

Today we are starting our off season positional preview series. of course we had to start with the quarterback position it has been it has been the hot topic this off season you guys cannot get enough of daniel jones. Anthony richardson riley lennard and for the very few of you still out there yes jason bean we have to talk about jason bean as well so we're gonna talk about these four quarterbacks talk about. We have to talk about Jason Bean as well. So we're going to talk about these four quarterbacks talk about their strengths their weaknesses What they bring to this position? this offseason likelihood of these guys making the team and making an impact this year and and What not so let's kick it off with the guy Jake that you know, I'm gonna say unfortunately here It's not really this guy's fault It's more so just the way this offseason has been going but But we're going to kick it off with the guy that you and I think is probably going to be the starter for majority of the games this year.

And that is veteran quarterback Daniel Jones. He got a majority of the reps in a mini camp. He has been getting a lot of the focus so far this offseason because of the injury to Anthony Richardson, extremely different quarterback from Anthony Richardson. We're going to talk about that here in a second. But Jake, how would you feel about a whole season of Daniel Jones as a starting quarterback? Yeah, I mean, it's it's unexceptional. It definitely feels along the same vein of the Gardner-Menshue season. If it would have been Joe Flacco all last year, it it feels like

that where it's like, this may lead to more wins, but what does it really get you in the end? But it kind of feels like that might be the end result regardless of who the quarterback is. Because I think in order to have full confidence in Anthony Richardson being your quarterback beyond this year in 2026,

he would either have to be healthy for the vast majority of the season or be super productive and show clear growth pretty much across the board. So at this point, I think it's just win by whatever means necessary. We're gonna see really the versatility of Shane Steichen. It kinda seems like he might be at his best with a somewhat boring, predictable quarterback situation, honestly. Like, we all thought it might be fireworks with him and Anthony Richardson. That really hasn't been the case.

Like, they've obviously had their fair share of big plays and everything. But I think the best we ever saw Shane Stiken when we said, you know, he might be in his bag, so to speak was really when it was Gardner Minch or it's like when an interruption in the quarterback position happens in a game and a new guy has to come in and it's not so much, you know, thinking going into one guy in this like, you know, galaxy brain approach with Anthony Richardson. It's like, you know, when it's just vanilla, I think that's kind of when Shane's at his best. And I think Daniel Jones probably provides the most vanilla option. Um,

you know, this offense, I think in order to succeed, needs to be able to have effectiveness at all levels of the field, short intermediate and long. Uh, Daniel certainly has the short and intermediate covered. You would love to maybe blend both of these guys together when it comes to their preferences of where they like to attack the field. But I mean, it is what it is.

I think it's just slightly more exciting than when Gardner Menchoo is out there. Is that kind of where you're at as well? Kind of. I'm of so many different thoughts when it comes to what the Colts are going to get out of Daniel Jones because with Jones, you know, stylistically, he is somewhat similar to Richardson in a sense where you are getting a better athlete at quarterback than what they got out of Gardner Mentsu, what they got out of Joe Flacco. It is the second best athlete at back of quarterback the Colts have had behind Anthony Richardson,

obviously. So you are getting that kind of stylistic match with him. But in terms of just how these quarterbacks play the game, the only real similarity you get between these guys is that they are both pretty loose with the football. You know, they both fumble a lot. They both throw some. I mean, Richardson throws more interceptions than Jones, but they are both pretty loose with the football. That's really the only comparison you get with these guys, though. Jones is a player who likes to just get the ball out of his hands as quick as possible, keep the ball

short, very, very air yard, very low air yards per attempt and yards per attempt. He's always had that really, really low. He's just not an aggressive quarterback in the sense where Anthony Richardson is far too aggressive. So I do think yes, you are getting some similarities with styles and sense of having a dual threat type of quarterback. Obviously it's varying degrees, but dual threat quarterback. But with Jones, it's more of he's gonna live and die by the offense being on pace, just being a, getting three yards on first down, four yards on second down,

and then converting on third and three. With Richardson, it's the deep ball. It's all the deep ball, that's all it's been. And you have to kind of be wary of those two different styles there. So with's been. And you have to kind of be wary of those two different styles there. So with Jones, yes, you are getting kind of some variants from Richardson, but you are hoping for just more down to down consistency, which Jones really hasn't shown since that one good season he had with the Giants. So we'll see if he can get back to that. I will push back on some things.

I think some people have been saying like, you know, former top 10 pick, this can be like another Baker Mayfield reclamation. I don't think personally Jones has ever hit the highs that Mayfield hit in Cleveland. For instance, I think Mayfield was just so much better, so much more talented too in Cleveland in terms of just the arm strength and the aggressiveness. Jones is like, to me, Jones is more close to like a Mitch Trebisky type of quarterback in terms of like, it's closer to saying that that was like a one hit wonder season

rather than being a reclamation project that can work. I think he's better than Mitch Trebisky. I'm not trying to evoke like strong emotions from people listening and be hateful towards Jones with that. But I do think it's closer to that than like a Baker Mayfield. But yeah Jones again you're really banking on just getting the ball out quick getting it to the playmakers and a guy who can operate the offense that way rather than someone like Richardson which is so feast or

famine on the vertical ball and in hoping that the offense improves that way I think that is a path that can lead to some success. It's just I'm a little fearful of a guy who turns the ball over as much as Jones in an offense that is reliant on 10 plus play drives because you give those guys more plays. They're going to have more turnover statistically. I mean, that's not that's not some crazy concept there. Yeah, and I do think that's one of the biggest things that kind of negates the game manager portion when it comes to Jones is, you know, those game managers are also known for taking

care of the ball and I don't think he throws like a lot of boneheaded picks, but obviously that those fumbles like you mentioned is just yeah, it's it's not not great. I think when it comes down to it, you know, if you're looking for sustainable passing game, all the deep shots and like leading the NFL and a dot by like two and a half yards, that's not sustainable. And so far, we really haven't seen that Anthony's got it in him to, you know, consistently go to the check down the necessary check down. And even when he does, you know, the timing is off or the accuracy is off.

Like it's definitely something that needs to be worked out in his game and everything. But for Jones, it's like that's a lot of what you get. I do think he's a little more aggressive than Gardner, at least, you know, for in practice, it seems like something he is has tried to work on. But yeah, that it's tough because I think Shane has now seen the two extremes, you know, Gardner 2023, no downfield presence whatsoever. Last year it was all downfield presence, even with Joe Flacco.

Like there's a lot of shots. And so if they can marry that together, I mean, cause Jones also has to be willing to trust what he sees and make the necessary adjustments as well. But I think Shane plays a big part into this as well. Obviously like he can't be the one pulling the strings on the field, but it is up to him who is out there. Yeah, it's tough for me when I about it, and I kind of compare Jones

to someone, you know, people say Baker or Sam Darnold, if you're looking for some sort of reclamation project, I don't know if that's necessarily it. But Alex Smith with the 49ers back in the day, he was terrible his first couple years in San Francisco, like really, really bad. And then he got to where he was pretty decent and could manage the game and, you know, even do a couple things that could lead the 49ers to win. And then we saw with the Chiefs and the commanders, like the guy made something out of himself.

He was kind of always at a level that was replaceable, but he was still playable. And I think that's hopefully what you can get from from Jones. I don't think he's going to go out and be a franchise quarterback, but can he be middle of the line? Can he be in that 15 to 20 range as far as the NFL QB hierarchy goes? Yeah, I very much agree that he's closer to an Alex to an Alex Smith type of I'm almost at Alex Jones, Alex Smith type of reclamation project than a Baker Mayfield. I think that one makes a lot more sense there. But for me, ultimately,

when I look at a Daniel Jones, I'm thinking, yes, this is probably a higher floor player than Richardson because he's going to complete more passes. The ball will get to players hands a little bit more. But is that floor high enough to be where you want to be? Personally, I don't think that it is. And we'll see that this year, because I do think he's going to start more games in Richardson. But it's just kind of the nature of where the Colts are at with quarterback right now. But coming up, guys, we're going to transition this conversation from the high floor, unsexy, boring Daniel Jones to the only ceiling, super low floor, a massive risk that is Anthony Richardson. And will he ever take that turn into just being slightly better in the short game to where he can be an effective NFL quarterback?

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for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. All right, guys, let's shift focus from Daniel Jones now and talk about Anthony Richardson because this is a quarterback competition. Yes, Anthony is now behind in it by at least a couple weeks, but it's still open. No winner has been declared yet. So rewind a month ago and we pretty much thought Anthony was in the driver's seat of this thing

before his shoulder injury flared back up. I mean, so let's talk about it, Zach. If, if Anthony goes out, plays catch up during training camp and, uh, you know, shows the necessary growth to win the job, then what does the season look like, but I'm going to preface that by saying now at this point, what we've seen from Daniel Jones is a lot of effectiveness in OTAs and minicamp. He spread the ball around, he's getting it out quickly, he's shown a good grasp of the system, like whatever they've installed to this point, it looks like he's executing it pretty well.

The offense is moving. If you guys have read my notes at all, I've seen the Colts do some two- minute drills so far during their practices and he's got them in the end zone every time. So it's going well so far. So is it to the point now where Anthony has to be almost spotless or like what does he have to show in order for them to kind of take that leap of faith? Yeah, I'm not too sure when it comes to the quarterback battle at this point because at the end of the day Stike and his said he wants consistency He wants basically the guy who's gonna be on the field getting majority of the reps to be the guy this year

So, you know, we might be overreacting just a little bit and already claiming Daniel Jones is gonna win the job It could be a little bit more open. I think regardless though, like whatever happens with this offseason quarterback battle Both these guys are gonna to play this season. These quarterbacks have struggled far too often in their careers at this point to say that either of these guys are going to be the starter for the entire year. We've seen the Colts have that quick trigger in terms of just moving quarterbacks and starting and benching players. And also the injury history on both these guys is

is awful. Like both these guys have really, really struggled to stay healthy in the NFL. So odds are, look, Richardson, even if he loses this offseason battle, he's going to start at least a month's worth of games this year. He's going to start at least seven, eight games this year because these guys have not shown the ability to stay healthy in the NFL. So yeah, I think Richardson is going to see the field this season. And when it comes to what we are looking at with him, it's tough, man. It is so tough to really talk about Anthony Richardson because it's one thing of just

the play was was just not where he wanted to be. You can sell yourself on him being a young quarterback. We need to get him to where we need to go and hopefully he can get to that that spot with more reps on the field. But it's not just the play not being there. It's also the health. So when you have poor play plus poor health, what do you really have in a quarterback? You know, you can't really get him the reps he needs to take that step on the field Uh, and and it's just his body is limiting him in so many ways here So yeah, it kind of feels like hoping on a miracle with Richardson at this point with the injuries And and again, maybe we are being too dramatic with this recent shoulder injury

The doctors have said it's not a big deal. He'll be back out there But from everything we've seen and I mean not even just in his NFL career just in the past what nine months of the NFL I mean he's been benched he's had a hip injury he's had a back injury flare-up that's been flaring up since high school he said the shoulder re aggravated that's been a re aggravated multiple times since he had surgery and that's just in the past nine months with Anthony Richardson so it's hard to really say like what this guy can be when he's on the field, because who knows how long he's going to be on the field.

I certainly think he gets some starts in this year. But is it enough to sway the cult, say, post 2025 that say this is the guy going forward? I don't think he can really hit that this year. Like, I really hope he can. I hope just there's a semblance of just him staying healthy and working the quick game just a little bit this year. Like I really hope he can. I hope just there's a semblance of just him staying healthy and working the quick game just a little bit this season. But I just I don't know if it's there anymore. And you guys know me like when the Colts drafted Richardson, I was very high on the pick, still full. I still fully believe in his talent. I think

he is an incredibly talented player. But I mean, look, we're over two years into this thing and he hasn't stayed healthy whatsoever. And the play has been so seesaw in terms of good and bad and just from down to down, from snap to snap. One of his biggest issues, I think, is that when one bad pass happens, it turns into 10 straight bad passes. And you can't have that in the NFL, at least with Daniel Jones. Every pass might not be a 10 out of 10, but he'll go for it. He'll be like a four out of 10, a four out of 10, a four out of 10, a four out of 10,

where Richardson, it's like a 10 out of 10 pass and then 10 straight one out of 10 passes. Like, you just can't have that, you know? So, yeah, it's tough. It's tough. The culture is a tough situation with this quarterback battle. I fully believe in Richardson's talent, but when he's just showing the end, like he just hasn't been able to be on the field. Like what can you really do with that right now? Yeah. And I think there is a kind of a battle here between what's best for Anthony and what's best for the team.

At a certain point, we all knew that there need to be patience. He needs to develop and everything. And, you know, there might've been some mismanagement along the way, you know, w with the Colts, whether they started him too soon, the whole thing with the benching last year, like at certain points, this has not gone the way it probably should, but injuries at the quarterback position are, I don't know if that's something you can really get past. It's a big problem.

It's not like it's a safety or a receiver, a tight end or something like, you cannot have that level of uncertainty at the quarterback position week after week after week. And like you mentioned, there are a couple injuries here that have been re-aggravated. The shoulder, this is the second time. And again, if he's back for training camp, cool.

I still don't think it's overblown because what if this happens in week four? What if it happens in week 14? It's a problem. Like you have got to be able to rely on your quarterback. And I just don't know if the Colts are in the position anymore to have the patients, because everyone in there now at this point is having to fight and perform for their job.

Patience is up. Things have gone the way that they've gone. And, you know, I rewinding a couple of years ago when they drafted him, I don't think everyone envisioned them being in this position now, but they are. And so it's, it's no longer about developing him. Like, they're still going to try to develop him. But the chief thing right now is winning. And, you know, I don't want to say that means him being left behind, but like the onus is now on him to get to where he needs to be rather than them pulling all their resources, pouring them on to him.

Yeah. Like I'm really not asking for much out of Richardson here. Just get on the field, stay healthy and show some marginal growth. I don't need him to be a hall of fame quarterback this next season. It'd be awesome. Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to complain, but like get on the field, play, just play decent. It can be below average football when he's on the field that I will take below average football, consistent below average football even, but just stay on the field when he's out there. And I will take that as a step in the right

direction. I don't know if that's good enough for the Colts, but like at least for him and his career prospects, like let's get a season under the belt where you can show you could stay healthy at least. And then we can go from there with the rest of his play. So, yeah, with Richardson, look, I again, I'll say this again. I fully expect him to start multiple games this season, regardless of what happens in this quarterback battle. Jones is not good enough and not healthy enough in his career to hold a position for the entire season.

So Richardson will get on the field. But how much he participates in this season will come down to his own health and his own play when he gets those opportunities. But coming up guys, don't worry, we're not done with quarterbacks. We have two exciting bottom of the roster guys. Everyone's favorite quarterback is the next man up.

So let's talk about Riley Leonard and Jason Veen here in just a second. Already locked on Colts every day as we were back with the quarterback preview of the 2025 season, 2025 offseason that is talking about the quarterbacks in this roster. Now we have talked all off season about Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones and what they bring, what kind of quarterbacks they are. Let's spend a little bit of time with Ryla Leonard and Jason Bean here Jake

And let's start with Leonard because that seems to be the guy who's going to be the Colts quarterback three this year likely their next Sam Ellinger Kind of fits the same Sam Ellinger mold in terms of just a pleasant guy to be around fairly decent athlete An all-right arm and a guy who can certainly Last in the NFL just off of vibes, I guess, as QB3. But when it comes to his potential to be anything more than that in the NFL, Jake, I'm not really of the mindset that he has much of the potential.

I think this is purely one of those times where, you know, when you draft guys on day three when it comes to the quarterback position, there are certainly some guys that you draft with the hopes of like maybe somehow this becomes an NFL quarterback. You know, you're Cole McDonald's, you know, the super athletic guys, super big arm guys that just didn't do anything in college. You're like, okay, let's see if this guy can develop and be, you know, something in the NFL. Then there are guys like Riley Leonard, I think when you draft them them where you're like at best this is a backup quarterback on a cheap

contract at worst it's you know a six round pick that we burned. That's kind of where I'm at with Riley Leonard I do think some of his Duke tape is more promising than anything he showed at Notre Dame last year I just didn't love much of what he did last year at Notre Dame outside of his mobility but I think this is a fine QB3 to have. I think it makes sense to have Miss QB3. He seems to be a guy who gets along with everybody and you know, there is some talent there.

But for me, I don't see really much more than that. Like I see like what's his name like Nathan Rourke or whatever his name is that's been bouncing around like those type of guys. Sam Ellinger again is another good comparison. Like I think he's very much in that kind of mold than anything more than that. No, it is definitely, it feels like a one-for-one replacement of Sam Ellinger.

You know, a guy with, you know, successful college shape like was a winner, but has, you know, limited arm talent, is able to run the ball a good bit as a physical player, great leader, brings all those things. And it's like, what else could you really ask for from a QB3? And I do think the Phillip Rivers stamp of approval probably went a long way with the Colts.

For those of you who don't know, Riley Leonard and Phillip Rivers have a connection through Fairhope, Alabama. And Rivers has been kind of like a mentor for Leonard. So that's who trains him. Um, you know, when it comes to Philip, you're not going to get anyone who works harder and studies more. And he's kind of been part of that and a Leonard.

So, you know, Leonard is kind of. Uh, eventually, you know, once he gets his footing in the NFL, probably going to be sort of another assistant coach a little bit like Sam Allenger was as well. So I think their vision for him beyond this year, you know, I find it highly unlikely that both Anthony and Daniel Jones will be here next year. So if the Colts can get QB2 status out of Leonard

next year and moving forward, that'd probably be fine with them. The thing is, the most famous guy in town is the most popular guy in town is always like the backup quarterback, and especially for the Colts, it's always like the third quarterback. There are always summer superstars and everything. I will say we should probably pump the brakes on that a little bit. In a game like the NFL that is so reliant on timing, Leonard's lack of arm strength has kind of showed up

in practice so far. I'll say that. He's had a couple picks and everything, which is fine. He's allowed to take his rookie lumps and everything, but so far it very much looks like he's a six round rookie quarterback. So the guy's gonna need time to acclimate and everything. The good news is low.

I mean, the Colts are gonna spend a good portion of their training camp practicing against other teams, which should make it even more challenging. And rather than him going up against the Colts defense day after day, he's going to get a couple tougher tests, which is where our guy Jason Bean really shines. And I kind of think that opens up kind of a really intriguing discussion of like every year, especially at the Colts. Again, they always have this like QB3, and we're talking going back 10, 12 years. They always seem to have a QB three that does really, really well in fans call for them to have a bigger role on the team than they have. They wind up getting cut or going to practice squad, what have you.

And I think it kind of brings along an interesting discussion of why don't those guys ever get a chance. And just to answer that a little bit, I think there's so much more that goes beyond it with the physical skills and everything. Like in the preseason, it's built for the guys who are more physically gifted to succeed because there's limited game planning and all this and that. And then obviously quarterback is like the most challenging, one of the most challenging things you can do in sports. So I'm, I'm, I'm actually really interested to see what you have to say about that, Zach, because I mean, there's no doubt like Jason being

balled out last preseason, but. You know, there are reasons why, you know, a Riley Leonard comes in and immediately usurps him as QB three, you know? Yeah. I mean, it's more so just what you're looking for, you know, like with, with Leonard, you don't want him to ever be the starter if he he ever is starting Game 3, which hot take, I do think he probably starts a game this season because again, if we're looking at it's not even off of ability, it's nothing to do with Riley Leonard's ability. It's purely to do with

the injury history of these two guys in front of him. Odds are Riley Leonard will start a game this season. But I think when it comes to like those type of guys, you know, it's what you're really looking for. Like, is there a reason? I know I keep bringing up this guy's name, but like, is there really a reason why Mitch Trubisky is still getting a job around the NFL? Is it because he's actually an NFL caliber quarterback? Or is it because he's really good at just being buddies with the quarterbacks? You know? And I do think there is some some marrying of those two ideas where it's like Obviously you want your backup quarterback to be a good player who also gets along with your quarterback But you know some of these teams are just like they they do the tom house kind of or not the tom house

The uh tom manning or tom more tom more jeez. I am struggling with namesake tom more Uh mindset when it comes to backup quarterback where it's like look if our starter goes down Who cares like who cares with the back up? So you want someone who's just the good vibes, you know, like the Riley Leonard's the Sam Ballinger's the Mitch Trubisky's That that is very much a thing in the NFL. It's a reason why we seen You know like players like Carson Wentz for instance struggle to get back up jobs and and struggle to get those Opportunities because teams will just go with bad good vibe quarterbacks at their back up. I'm not saying that's what's happening here, but I'm just saying that's what happens in

general in regards to Jason Bean and Riley Leonard. Like, yeah, I mean, you're just trying to get guys who are decent athletes, good young kids who can run the practice squad and and be assets when it comes to just your game planning throughout the week the NFL they typically don't miss much like quarterbacks don't really like just Fall through the cracks in terms of being like undrafted free agents that become stars it happens Brock Purdy is a thing and Tony Romo is a thing like that certainly does happen, but for the most part like quarterback is one of those positions where draft position matters more than anything else in terms of your success in the NFL.

Even then, we've seen, you know, top five quarterbacks aren't guaranteed to be hits like we we have seen here in India, obviously, with Anthony Richardson. But, you know, usually the draft draft status is a huge part of it. And that's why you're not going to see guys like Jason Beane or Rod Leonard ever really get that chance. I really wish there was more development in the NFL for those type of guys, but I mean at the end of the day you have to have so many things at such a high level to be an NFL starter to where if you're lacking in any degree like Jason Beane is lacking with just the overall I think the cerebral part of playing quarterback in terms of being able to read a defense at a high level and anticipate throws and stuff.

He's very good where it's like, see ball, throw ball to one read and go get it and he's good athlete. But I just don't think he's an NFL starter, obviously. And then with Leonard, I think there are some issues with his overall accuracy and arm strength. You just have to be at such a high level to start in the NFL. Even these guys that we call terrible, like Daniel Jones, we talked about at the start of the show, but he's probably one of the 40 best people in the world at what he's doing. One of the 50 best people in the world at what he's doing.

The standard is just so high for these guys. I like Jason Bean a lot. I really hope he can get those four accrued seasons in the NFL, get those NFL retirement packages, give us some really fun preseason moments. But do I think he's anything more than like a third stringer, fourth stringer type guy? Probably not. And again, same with Leonard. Like I think Leonard seems like a good kid. I hope he's he sticks around for a little bit. Do I think he should ever ever start a game in the NFL? Probably not. But again, we have the Brock Purdy stuff. We have the Tony Romo. Sometimes these guys do slip through the cracks.

It's just very, very, very unlikely. And it's hard to ever really bank on that. It's more advantageous to not bank on that as a fan, as an analyst, as someone just who understands the game. So, yeah, I think these guys are good for what they are. They can just come in, run, run the practice squad, run some preseason, make us enjoy preseason football a little bit. But aside from that, I'm not going to count on these guys to be much more than that.

Yeah. When it comes to Leonard, I, again, we talked about the same elegant role a bit. So I do think the Colts like him enough to where when the regular season comes about, they may not want to risk getting him on waivers to get him to the practice squad. So they may carry three quarterbacks. So his role maybe as emergency quarterback, you know, technically inactive on the game day rosters on the last, you know, Anthony and Daniel Jones get hurt and then he has to go in. I think an important part of that is physically he may not be like someone you totally want to throw out there, but I do think he would be

able to have a good grasp of what he is supposed to do and what he's got, what he would be asked to do in the event that he had to get activated in his emergency quarterback duties. Now, hopefully that just involves hand the ball off to Jonathan Taylor, but still, you know, he's going to be in those quarterback meetings all throughout the week. And he's the guy who has a good grasp of things. Like mentally he's, it's never been a problem. So at minimum, if you're looking for an emergency quarterback, I'd probably rather have a guy

who gets it and knows what the objective is supposed to be rather than like a super tools and guy like, cause again, you're not putting a lot of resources into him to be like anything more than that emergency quarterback. So just get us through this game and let's ride. And I think Leonard could probably do that again. He would at least understand what he's supposed to do. Yeah. He could give us like a 50% complete percentage and run for another 15, 20 yard. Like, look, it can probably be at the same level. The Dolphins got out of their fifth string quarterbacks last year. 50% completes your percentage and run for another 15 20 yard like

Look, it can probably be at the same level the Dolphins got out of their fifth string quarterbacks last year Like when those guys came, you know, it's tough to watch Yeah, you know probably at that but yeah, like at the end of the day when we're talking quarterback There's so much that goes in the position a lot of moving parts here and the Colts certainly have One of the quarterback rooms in the NFL. I can't say it's a good one, but it's certainly one of them in the NFL. They do have a quarterback room. They have some quarterbacks on this roster. Will you guys let us know in the comment section what your confidence level is in this Colts quarterback room going into 2025 and is it higher than ours?

Because we did not get the most glowing review here. Probably our worst review we've given of a quarterback room since we've taken over this show, which that includes even the Matt Ryan season, so that says a lot right here. But yeah, you guys let us know in the comment section below. And we wanna thank you guys for making Locked on Cold your first Listen to Hain every day.

Now, if you're second Listen, check out Locked on NFL Scouting. As training camps get closer and the moves are being made, hosts Kyle Krabs and Joe Marina will make you the most informed NFL fan this off-season locked on NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you're listening to your podcast. And if you guys want to become a locked on Colts insider and chat this directly and get that insider scoop, follow the link in our show notes. This is an ongoing series that we have going this offseason, guys. So next up, we're going to be doing defensive ends, breaking down the edge rushers and again, hopefully be a little bit more positive and more fun in that episode.

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