Anthony Richardson and Cam Ward have a bit in common. Ward was the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft after playing his final season of college at a Florida university. Richardson was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft after playing his final year of college at the University of Florida. But there are key differences between the Tennessee Titans' QB and the Indianapolis Colts' QB.
Ward was able to stay healthy as a rookie and appeared in all his team's games. He also improved as the season grew old. In his last eight games, he has just one interception but 10 touchdown passes. While his team won just three games this season, two of those victories came in the final five games.
Richardson, though, never showed an arc of improvement. He played decently in some games, but terribly in many more. He also hasn't been able to stay healthy. Even while not playing in 2025 (Daniel Jones was the starting QB), bad luck found Richardson as he broke an orbital bone after an exercise band broke and hit him in the face in Week 6 warmups.
Matt Hasselbeck might have accidentally suggested what Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Richardson needs to do
But the biggest reason that Ward appears to be trending toward being a good professional quarterback and Richardson could end up being QB3 on the Colts' 2026 roster is that Ward appears more focused on the fundamentals. He already had the talent to be creative (and mostly successful) with off-script throws. Richardson hasn't learned the fundamentals yet.
In a recent conversation with Justin Melo of FanSided's Titan Sized, while promoting Bud Light's limited-edition championship packaging to commemorate Super Bowl 60, former Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck hinted at why Ward could reach a high-level of future success.
"I think Cam (Ward) has a lot of great tools to work with," Hasselbeck said. "The danger is, when you come out of the NFL Draft, the things that get you drafted high nowadays are those creative off-platform throws. But if you look at the great quarterbacks in the NFL, the guys who have long, successful careers, it’s the guys who find joy in perfecting the fundamentals. Find joy in the mundane and protect the team."
To be fair, Anthony Richardson might want to find the joy in the mundane, but he might simply not be capable of being the kind of efficient quarterback an NFL team needs to win. He came into the league too early and too young (he was only 20 years old). He has turned out to be exactly what people thought he was in college.
That is, he is a physically imposing player with lots of athleticism and arm strength, but cannot throw accurately and makes poor decisions, especially in terms of run-pass options. His accuracy should have improved by now, and maybe if he gets a chance to play again, he will show that it has.
Most likely, though, that won't be with the Indianapolis Colts. Indy wants free agent Daniel Jones back as QB1. Richardson might not get to play again until he is with a different team.