It's no secret that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson had a rough season in 2024. He was benched, he was injured, and according to general manager Chris Ballard, he was "drowning." While the Colts are still giving Richardson another chance at QB1 -- for now -- they've also made it clear that Richardson can expect competition at quarterback in the near future, too.
Given the inconsistency Richardson had, his ranking among NFL quarterbacks is not really much of a surprise. Nick Shook ranked each team's starting quarterback for the entirety of the 2024 season, and Richardson.... well, he wasn't dead last, but he was pretty close: #28.
"Whether it was the inaccuracy, the awful interceptions, the moment he asked out of a game because he was tired or the injuries, Richardson was only consistent at one thing: being inconsistent. Sure, he had moments of tantalizing success. He threw majestic passes downfield, sometimes for touchdowns. But he also posted some awful completion percentages, rarely found solid footing and often seemed like a greater weapon as a hulking runner than a quarterback. Richardson was benched because of these issues and only got his job back because his replacement (veteran Joe Flacco) proved to be worse. The Colts desperately need Richardson to spend an offseason working on his technique, because if he irons out his passing, he can become a player worthy of the first-round pick they spent on him. He fell well short of expectations in Year 2, though."Nick Shook
There is a lot of truth in what Shook had to say here. Yes, Richardson improved after his benching, and to be fair, there were a lot of issues that had nothing to do with him: Steichen's poor play-calling, unreliable receivers (and the tight ends in particular), a decimated offensive line. With better weapons and support around him, Richardson very well could have had a better season.
However, a good quarterback should be a leader, someone who can elevate their team even when they aren't at their best. Ultimately, Richardson's completion percentage was just not great, and he threw more interceptions than touchdowns.
This all means Richardson needs to make massive gains in the offseason. Thankfully, he should actually be healthy this offseason, something that wasn't the case in 2023, so he should have plenty of time to put some hard work in, so he can improve on his accuracy, on the fundamentals, learning to read a defense, and so on. The season may be over, but Richardson can't afford to take a break. For him, the real work starts right now.