The Indianapolis Colts are going to give Anthony Richardson every chance to prove he can start. This makes sense as the team spent a high first-round draft pick on him in 2023, and having a quarterback be a bust can set a franchise back for years. The QB has athletic ability, but not consistency so far.
To be fair, maybe he is a year delayed in his development. He was off to a somewhat decent start as a rookie, but then he suffered a concussion. Then he suffered a sprain in his shoulder. He missed all but four games, and experience is something that is needed to become a good NFL player.
The most upsetting thing might be that once Richardson came back in year two, he somehow seemed worse. Instead of being forced to sit, watch, and learn, the quarterback had more inaccuracy and lacked good decision-making in his second year.
NFL commentator says Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Richardson likely to remain a bust
Maybe that is who he is, though. He is a physically gifted player who can never translate that into consistent production, and will continue to get hurt a lot. After all, even after his rookie season, Richardson has suffered a hip strain, a back pull, another shoulder sprain, and, more recently, a dislocated finger.
One former NFL wide receiver turned NFL analyst, Andrew Hawkins, feels that Richardson doesn't have a feel for how to keep himself healthy. And, if the quarterback isn't physically able to play, then he also struggles to play well without getting actual reps.
At some point, it’s your responsibility to protect yourself,” Hawkins said on the Rich Eisen Show. “You have to be able to play the position in a way that prevents you from losing time; otherwise, we can’t build around you as a starting quarterback... For Anthony Richardson, I don’t know if the mental reps he’s had to date (are) enough to unlock his potential."
Anthony Richardson's seeming inability to watch and learn and then put that to use fairly quickly, he is back to playing, could mean that he doesn't have a high football IQ. The only way he might get better is to play a lot in real games and learn from that game experience. But the Catch-22 is that he can't do that because he gets hurt too easily.
It is far too early for the Indianapolis Colts to give up on Anthony Richardson, of course. He is in year three of his rookie deal, so he is relatively inexpensive compared to a more proven veteran quarterback who would cost as much as $35 million a season or more. But AR5 isn't playing close to that level yet. That needs to start this season.
Again, he will be given every chance to start with Indy. The Colts have made a modification to their preseason plan since Richardson had to leave preseason Week 1 early. In preseason Week 2, Daniel Jones will start but play only a couple of series, while Richardson will play the rest of the first half.