The Indianapolis Colts have completed their first week of OTAs and head coach Shane Steichen has high praise for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.
The Indianapolis Colts started OTAs on Tuesday, May 23, and while there is a ton to evaluate for Indy, there’s really only one thing that everyone wants to know: how is Anthony Richardson doing? The fourth overall pick was brought to Indy with hopes that he will be the team’s next franchise quarterback, and everyone wants to know how he’s adjusting to the league.
On Thursday, first year head coach Shane Steichen spoke with the media and discussed how Richardson has been doing in practice so far. Steichen explained that Richardson has been rotating with veteran Gardner Minshew for first team reps, and that Richardson “made some big plays today,” what Steichen described as “next level stuff.”
Colts not wasting any time putting Richardson into the fire and seems to be handling it well.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) May 25, 2023
"He made some big plays today... some next-level stuff," Steichen said.
Anthony Richardson making big plays in Colts OTAs
As a fan, it’s hard to hear that and not get excited, even if it is just the first week of OTAs in late May. This aligns with everything else that’s been reported about Richardson since he’s been drafted by the Colts. After rookie minicamp, the story was that Richardson was further along in his development than what people thought.
Now that Richardson has joined the full team and is participating in 7-on7 and 11-on-11 work, Indianapolis is able to get an even better evaluation, and Richardson has the opportunity to make big plays. A couple of the big plays made on Thursday were documented by reporters who were in attendance at practice.
Anthony Richardson with two good deep passes in 7-on-7. First was a 50-odd pass in the air to wide receiver Malik Turner. Second was a nice throw over the middle to Kylen Granson for a 60-plus catch and run. #Colts
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) May 25, 2023
Both coming in a 7-on-7 period, Richardson completed a deep pass in the range of 50 yards to wide receiver Malik Turner, and a deep throw in the middle of the field to tight end Kylen Granson.
If Richardson can continue to impress, and develop throughout the offseason as practices continue to get harder, he and Minshew will eventually stop splitting reps, and Anthony Richardson will officially be the QB1 for the Colts. Hopefully, that’s the case by Week 1, and Richardson will be ready to get on the field and help Indianapolis win games.