Booger McFarland: ‘Everyone in Indianapolis needs Anthony Richardson to stay healthy’

Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones are in the midst of a quarterback battle that may come down to the wire during fall camp. Richardson has been sidelined throughout the offseason with a nagging shoulder issue, and risks falling in the depth chart with a poor training camp performance.

That remains to be seen, but ESPN’s Booger McFarland believes Richardson should be the one taking the first snap for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025. Richardson was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft — meanwhile Daniel Jones, the other quarterback on the roster, is with his third team in two seasons. McFarland used an analogy poking fun at one of his ESPN colleagues to get his point across.

“I think if you’re the coach, you want it to be Anthony Richardson, because if Daniel Jones beats out Anthony Richardson, that would almost be like (ESPN NFL insider) Dan Graziano beat me in a foot race,” McFarland said on ESPN Wednesday. “It just shouldn’t happen, but stranger things have happened. I think if you’re (Colts GM) Chris Ballard and you took Anthony Richardson where you took him, you want his development — number one, so he could be healthy — number two, so he can be your franchise quarterback.

“Because when you draft a quarterback that high and you miss out, your entire franchise behind. So it’s imperative — everyone in Indianapolis needs Anthony Richardson to stay healthy and be the franchise quarterback.”

McFarland said that Jones is a “very competent backup.” However, he’s not supposed to be the guy for the Colts. McFarland must feel the same about his colleague, Dan Graziano

If everything goes Indianapolis’ way, Richardson will have a breakout season in 2025. Colts headman Shane Steichen is familiar with playing alongside dual-threat quarterbacks having most recently coached Jalen Hurts with the Eagles as the team’s OC before taking Indianapolis’ head coaching job in 2023.

“[If Richardson is healthy,] you can start to see what Shane Steichen did with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia,” McFarland said. “Maybe he could do the same thing with Anthony Richardson, but he’s got to win this job and he’s got to be healthy, first and foremost.”

The Colts are set to host training camp from July 23 through August 14. By its end, Indianapolis will likely have a starter. Richardson has downplayed his injury status so far this offseason, and his performance during that stretch will be a major factor in the Colts final decision under center/.