In theory, it was supposed to be the perfect marriage.
The Indianapolis Colts selected Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft after they hired new head coach Shane Steichen away from his previous position as the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator. Steichen was a hot name because he had used Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts' mobility to tie his team's running and passing game together in some truly special ways, and given what Richardson showed as a runner (and occasionally as a thrower) in his collegiate career, why couldn't it happen again?
So far, it has not happened at all. Coming into his third NFL season, Richardson has totaled 176 completions on 348 attempts (a 50.6% completion rate) for 2,391 yards (6.9 yards per attempt), 11 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a passer rating of 67.8. Richardson regressed in some ways as a passer in 2024 with more snaps, completing 126 of 264 attempts (47.7%) for 1,814 yards (6.9 YPA), eight touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a passer rating of 61.6. Richardson played in just four games in his rookie season due to injuries, and compiled a passer rating of 87.3 then.
Richardson has been more successful as a runner in his NFL career, with 635 yards and 10 touchdowns on 111 carries. Were it not for the 12 fumbles, that would be a relative strength.
Back and foot injuries limited Richardson to 11 games in 2024, not to mention the fact that the Colts benched him in late October in favor of Joe Flacco, a pause that lasted two weeks.
By the end of Richardson's second season, the Colts were just as noncommittal as they had been before. At the scouting combine in February, both Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard brought up the concept of an open quarterback competition. Flacco had moved on, but the subject stayed.
"Consistency is the biggest thing," Steichen said of his quarterback. "We've had those conversations... myself and him. Just being consistent. Obviously, he's been on the field in 15 games in the last two years. He played 11 last year, and did some really good things, but [we're] just looking for consistency."
Ballard concurred.
"Look, it has to be the right guy to create real competition, but we want to create real competition. I think it's good for the team, and I think it's good for Anthony. We drafted Anthony high knowing it was going to take some time, and we knew there were going to be some hiccups along the way. I know we all want a finished product right now. I do, you do, fans do, we all do, but I think as he continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition will help up everybody's game."
In the minds of the Colts' shot-callers, the "right guy" was Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year, $14 million contract with $13.15 million guaranteed to be the safety valve. That Jones' career with the New York Giants has been underwhelming in its own ways, and that he's the apparent answer to the open competition, tells you in no uncertain terms about the frustration level in the room.
And the frustration level is understandable. Jalen Hurts was not a finished product when Steichen brought out the best in him by tying his throwing and running together, but Hurts had enough on the ball to take advantage of how defenses had to change their plans of attack when they didn't know how Hurts would go after them.
Richardson still has trouble layering throws, reading defenses in a quick fashion, going outside of his own pre-determinations, throwing the ball on time in the route progression, and his passes under pressure can be a real adventure. Last season when pressured, Richardson completed 34 of 91 passes (37.4%), 513 yards (5.6 YPA), three touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 40.2, which was the fourth-lowest among NFL quarterbacks playing at least 20% of their teams' snaps.
Moreover, you'd expect a guy with Richardson's athletic profile to be a good passer outside the pocket. But last season, with a launch point in which he had to move, Richardson completed 18 of 46 passes (39.1%) for 249 yards (5.4 YPA), three touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 69.9.
You'd also think that Richardson would be a productive RPO thrower — not only because the threat of the run sets second- and third-level defenders on edge, but also because Steichen coached that up so well with Hurts and the Eagles. But last season when throwing out of RPOs, Richardson completed just nine of 16 passes for 68 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 47.9. It's worrisome to see Richardson struggle in these relatively simple concepts.
When you have a quarterback who has this much work to do, what the guy needs above all else is reps. And that's going to be an problem this preseason. Because last Thursday, Steichen announced that Richardson is dealing with a reoccurrence of the AC joint injury to his throwing shoulder that forced surgery, and a premature end to his rookie campaign.
"Last week in practice, Anthony sustained an injury in his throwing shoulder," Steichen said. "Felt some pain in it. Doctors, trainers checked it out. He's got some aggravation in his AC joint. So, we're going to sit him out this week. Obviously, he'll sit out for mini-camp. We'll see when he comes back. Not going to put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we'll ease him into throwing and then we'll go from there. The good thing is, he's not going to need a procedure right now.”
The bad news, of course, is that Richardson will miss important time as he heads into a crucial part of his career. Unfortunately, this has become a trend for a player in need of development, and the development isn't happening.
The 2025 Colts look to have most everything else going for them. This is a team that finished 20th in offensive DVOA last season even with the unspectacular Richardson/Flacco paring, and now, there's 14th overall pick Tyler Warren, the dominant tight end from Penn State to add to an already fairly loaded group of targets.
They also ranked 15th in defensive DVOA despite one of the more unimaginative schematic portraits in the NFL under former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. The addition of ex-Bengals DC Lou Anarumo, who brings a far more complex playbook built for veterans, should help — as should the additions of cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Cam Bynum.
But as they say, if you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a chance. The Colts, who finished 8-9 last season after a 9-8 finish in 2023, and who haven't made the postseason since 2020, are well aware of this. Most likely, 2025 is when the proverbial rubber meets the road for the franchise's relationship with Anthony Richardson. If the development isn't there for whatever reason, the team could decline his fifth-year option next year, and look to move on in what should be a stronger quarterback class in 2026 than the 2025 draft showed.
It's all on Anthony Richardson's shoulders now... which could present serious challenges, both literally and figuratively.