WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Colts training camp kicked off on Wednesday, with all eyes on the quarterbacks.

The Colts enter training camp with an open competition between Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones for the starting quarterback position.

WISH-TV Colts Insider Kevin Bowen said he was surprised by the amount of starting reps that Richardson got on Wednesday.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said that Richardson would be scaled back from a volume standpoint. But, Bowen said the Colts are doing that very smartly, by scaling back his throws in the individual drills, not in the full team drills like 11-on-11.

Richardson injured his shoulder during the offseason, causing him to miss all of mini-camp.

“I think that is vital for Richardson because I do think he’s got a little bit of ground to make up after missing such a substantial portion of the spring,” Bowen said.

Bowen has covered the Colts for 15 years and is a radio host for 107.5 The Fan, hosting “The Fan Morning Show.”

Bowen was asked who he thought had the advantage after the first day of training camp.

“I’m going with Daniel Jones,” Bowen said. “I don’t think it’s a wide gap. And again, it’s July 23rd. We got a lot of time here. But when you hear the word that Shane Steichen has used since day one of this quarterback battle, it is consistency. That’s what he’s looking for. Well, unfortunately, that’s not a word you would use to describe Anthony Richardson at all, playing or availability wise. So if you’re going to believe the head coach with that word, then you know I think Daniel Jones might have the slight lead. Again, we’ll see how the next few weeks and month plays out. Three preseason games, I think it’s vital these guys play in those preseason games. But right now, I’d say a slight lead to the veteran Daniel Jones.”

This is also a critical year for Steichen and Ballard. The Colts have missed the playoffs for four straight seasons. The last time the Colts missed the playoffs in four straight years was in the 1990s.

With the Pacers making the NBA Finals and the Fever and Caitlin Clark generating so much excitement, Bowen thinks that adds to the pressure.

“I think all of this right now, the Fever, the Pacers, I don’t think those Irsay daughters are immune to that or ignoring that,” Bowen said. “They realize where things are kind of building in this city and I think it’s vital the Colts have a seat at that table. So very critical year, certainly top down for this organization.”

The Colts return to the practice field for the second day of training camp on Thursday from 10-11 a.m.

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