How open will the `open competition' be for the Colts starting quarterback job? Good question.

Chris Ballard says he's bringing in a quality quarterback to push Anthony Richardson this training camp. We'll see about that.

Chris Ballard said Tuesday he wants to add a quality quarterback and create an “open” competition between the newcomer and Anthony Richardson.

I’m not buying it.

I think he wants somebody who will push Richardson and force him to be the best (or better) version of himself, but he doesn’t really want somebody who will beat him out. We also heard it was an open competition between a rookie Richardson and Gardner Minshew two years ago, and Richardson was gifted the starting job after just one preseason game.

The Colts not only want Richardson to win the quarterback derby this summer, they need him to win it, lest he be cast as a massive bust after just two-plus years. This is a young man they drafted fourth; what does it say about the organization, and Richardson, if he’s consigned to the bench behind someone like, say, Kirk Cousins or Justin Fields?

The Colts are walking a tightrope here, looking for someone good enough to push Richardson but not good enough to beat him out for the starting job. Which means you can forget about Sam Darnold or Matthew Stafford, who they should have signed in 2021 when they had the opportunity.

“We can’t beat our head against a wall,” Ballard said at the NFL Combine. “We’ve got to have competition at the position for the fact that, one, competition makes everybody better. And then two, he’s not proven he can play 17 games.”

That’s fine and that’s smart, but we know how this story is going to play out. The incumbent, Richardson, will have the unspoken edge heading into camp, and as long as he shows a modicum of progress after an off-season when he’s able to train rather than rehabilitate an injury, he’s going to be Indy’s starter on opening day.

“It’s got to be somebody who can challenge him from a production standpoint,” Ballard said.

Meaning…who?

This is how we’ll know if Ballard is serious about this competition scenario.

Is he interested in somebody who can push Richardson and keep him honest, or are they genuinely searching for someone who can earn the starting job?

I don’t see Indy spending the money on Darnold, who would very likely force Richardson to the sidelines. Stafford, who’s been told to go ahead and gauge the market, would require significant draft capital and a lot of cash, and he, too, would supplant Richardson. Not going to happen. Kirk Cousins is another name, but he, too, could beat out Richardson and force the Colts to kick the can down the road yet another season at the quarterback position. No, thank you.

I’ve got a name who I think fits the bill perfectly: Justin Fields. The Colts were bullish on him when he came out in the 2021 draft and he’s got starting experience. He’s good enough to push Richardson, but I don’t see him winning the job as long as Richardson performs reasonably well. And if Richardson should falter or, more likely, get hurt again, Fields, a run-first quarterback, would be a nice fit as a replacement in an offense geared to his style of play.

There’s also a contractual element to the Richardson situation. He’s heading into his third season and will be eligible for a fifth-year option. If you’re the Colts, do you pick up the option and guarantee Richardson’s fifth year? Not if he gets beaten out in camp, you don’t. And trust me, the Colts do not want that, not in the least. Because if Richardson is supplanted by whoever this season, he will be accurately cast as a massive draft bust. How do you keep Ballard for a 10^th season – 10^th – if it turns out he’s blown yet another chance to get the quarterback situation right after so many failed efforts?

Only Richardson can save Ballard’s job in what figures to be his final stand.

Good luck with that.

“We drafted Anthony high knowing it was going to take some time and knowing there were going to be some hiccups along the way,” Ballard said. “I know we all want a finished product now. We all do, but as he continues to progress, us adding competition will help everybody.”

I feel like the Colts continue to speak out of both sides of their mouth. His rookie year, he got the job after just one preseason game. Last year, he got benched for a lack of commitment and professionalism. This year, they’re talking about real competition bringing out the best in the wayward quarterback. Not so long ago, Ballard conceded the Colts should have signed a bridge starter who allowed Richardson to spend a year or two on the bench learning the ropes. Now, you’re left with a quarterback who completed an absurdly low 47.7 completion percentage and questions about his willingness and ability to be a true professional.

In other words, they’ve mismanaged Richardson horribly.

So it’s make or break. Richardson is said to be working hard this off-season, utilizing an eminent throwing coach and virtual reality to help with his reads and vision of defenses.

The Colts need to create an open competition. Just not too open. Richardson has to start, or the Colts have wasted another three years, or more, in their interminable quest to find a quality quarterback.