When it comes to members of the Indianapolis Colts roster, there is no one as polarizing as Anthony Richardson. While Richardson has almost unlimited potential, he has failed to turn it into reality. While some fans have already written him off as a bust, others are still hoping to see him pull through in the battle between him and Daniel Jones.
Unfortunately, Jones seems to be the assumed winner, poised to take QB1 after Richardson hurt his shoulder during OTAs. Jones got all the reps instead, and reportedly did well without having Richardson to compete against. It was a real blow to Richardson, as he had seemingly been doing well before his shoulder injury flared up again. 2025 is his last chance to keep his place in Indianapolis, considering how much he has struggled before now, and with training camp approaching, he has a lot to prove.
But for the NFL.com's Dan Parr, there are a lot of reasons fans should still be rooting for Richardson to shock everyone and win. He named Richardson as his pick for the player fans should root for from the
Colts.
"Richardson’s inclusion here isn’t meant as a slight to his competition for the starting job in Indianapolis, Daniel Jones. I wish Jones well, too. (In fact, he made my "root for" list last year.) It’s just that Dimes’ upside never came close to what Richardson can be if he finds a way to put it all together, and as a football fan, I’d like a chance to see exciting quarterback play! Laugh if you want, but I’ll never forget the electricity in Lucas Oil Stadium when Richardson put on a show at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Sadly, he hasn’t come close to recreating that feeling for any extended period in the two seasons since GM Chris Ballard drafted him fourth overall. The outlook seems as bleak as ever right now, with Richardson experiencing a nagging shoulder issue that sidelined him for minicamp this offseason. I’d like to see a better ending to his story in Indy than losing a battle to Jones and being relegated to the bench with a 50 percent completion rate and more career interceptions than touchdown passes."Dan Parr, NFL.com
This will be a controversial take, considering how much Richardson has struggled. Despite the edge he holds over Jones in sheer athleticism and power, he has not been able to figure out how to harness that explosive ability into accuracy and efficiency. Jones will never be as exciting a quarterback as Richardson could be, and may never be less than merely good enough - and while that could be enough for the Colts to win this season, they will need someone to give more to the team if they want to ever become playoff contenders. And that's probably why the new owner - Carlie Irsay-Gordon - is still rooting for Richardson, too.
So it does make perfect sense that fans could hold out hope for Richardson to find the spark again and prove all the doubters wrong. If he does, there would be very little that could hold the Colts back.