The Indianapolis Colts are set at quarterback with starter Daniel Jones and backup Riley Leonard. Where does that leave Anthony Richardson? No one seems to know, and that includes head coach Shane Steichen.
At the NFL annual meetings this week, general manager Chris Ballard confirmed again that Richardson had requested a trade, but none had been worked out, nor did one seem close. Whether AR5 was still going to be on the roster next season, Ballard could only say there is a chance.
Steichen, who has a way of saying a lot with very little substance to the media, echoed Ballard while pushing the decision on what to do with Richardson firmly in the general manager's box. After all, the head coach just has to work with what the GM gives him.
Shane Steichen has no answer to what the Indianapolis Colts will do with Anthony Richardson
Steichen told the media, "We’ll see where that all goes this offseason (with Richardson)." And he hasn't "had that conversation with" the quarterback about whether he should stay home during OTAs in late May, adding, "We'll let Chris (Ballard) and his staff handle those conversations."
Thanks for nothing, Coach Steichen. Of course, what do fans truly expect him to say? He can't dispute what Ballard said, and he also can't say that Richardson's appearance at OTAs and training camp would be an unnecessary distraction. Maybe the quarterback wouldn't be, though, having him around other players when he clearly doesn't want to be there is odd.
Fans might also blame Steichen for Anthony Richardson not working out, but that is likely unfair to the head coach. Steichen has proven in his many years in the NFL that he is capable of creating a system and culture where a quarterback who works hard and studies the playbook can do well. That happened with Daniel Jones in the first half of last year.
Richardson, meanwhile, has only completed 50.6 percent of his passes in three years, and an NFL quarterback with that low a completion percentage in the current NFL landscape implies that the QB just doesn't work hard enough at the fundamentals and has poor decision-making.
Steichen's system is designed to get some easy completions and throw deep at times, while working off an excellent running attack led by Jonathan Taylor. Richardson had everything Jones had and couldn't succeed. He needs to go elsewhere to restart his career physically and mentally.
Still, Steichen's wait-and-see approach to whatever Chris Ballard wants to do is probably not totally true. Ballard should ask for input from his head coach. If he doesn't, a greater issue exists for the Indianapolis Colts than the Anthony Richardson situation.