Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered an extremely unlucky injury in pregame warmups ahead of Week 6 when he was struck by an exercise band in the eye, and he broke an orbital bone. Richardson could do nothing to avoid the situation.
The injury was bad enough, though, that AR5 needed to be placed on injured reserve and will have to miss at least four games. He could return in Week 12, after Indy's bye week. The hope is that the only time he plays the rest of the season is if Indianapolis is blowing out an opponent.
The Colts needed to do something to replace Richardson, at least temporarily, on the roster. After starter Daniel Jones, the next quarterback up would have been rookie Riley Leonard. He still might be. Or Indy could replace Jones with a quarterback the team is reportedly signing, Brett Rypien.
Indianapolis Colts reportedly sign quarterback Brett Rypien
Rypien, who is being signed to the practice squad but can be elevated three times before being added to the active roster, is no one's answer to a long-term quarterback. He was undrafted out of Boise State in 2019 and has played in 11 NFL games since then. He has started four of them. The Colts will be his eighth team since he entered the league.
The QB has previously been a part of the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings. He last spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was released this season after Cincy traded for veteran (and former Colts quarterback) Joe Flacco.
In his career, he has thrown four touchdowns, but nine interceptions, too. That is not the kind of TD:INT ratio you want from a quarterback. His quarterback rating is an atrocious 59.9. The last time he threw a pass was in 2023.
Of course, the hope is that Rypien never plays a down. Daniel Jones' remaining healthy is key to future success for the Indianapolis Colts. Jones has been remarkable in his first season with the team, and hopefully, he will stay that way.
But Indy is also one Jones injury from having to play either Rypien or Leonard, and that's bad. Leonard is a great person to have on the team, and he works hard, but he isn't ready to get regular season snaps. Rypien has proven he isn't either.
In other words, maybe nothing ever happens to Jones, Richardson returns in Week 12, and Rypien is likely released again.