Anthony Richardson has shown flashes during his second year in the NFL, but he still faces a steep development curve. The Colts do not appear to be preparing a change at the QB depth chart in the wake of his inconsistent start to the year. 
Last year’s fourth overall pick is set to remain atop the depth chart for at least “a while,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes. The Colts made it clear during the 2023 offseason that a young signal-caller would be targeted in lieu of another shot-term veteran addition. That resulted in Richardson being selected, but his rookie campaign was limited to only four games.
Expectations were nevertheless high for the 22-year-old individually and Indianapolis in general entering 2024. Head coach Shane Steichen – hired in no small part for his success in developing Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts during his Chargers and Eagles tenures – has remained confident in Richardson’s potential over the short- and long-term future. The first three weeks of the season have been marked by accuracy issues and inconsistent decision-making, however.
Richardson’s completion percentage sits at just 49.3% on the season, and his six interceptions lead the league. The Florida product (who saw limited starts in college) has remained effective on the ground with 117 rushing yards and one touchdown, and his arm strength has been on display this year (16.2 yards per completion average, the highest in the NFL). Sitting Richardson for a stretch – as the Panthers are currently doing with Bryce Young – could allow for a reset, although such a move should not be expected.
The Colts signed Joe Flacco as their backup in the offseason, adding the former Super Bowl MVP after his surprisingly successful run at the end of last season in Cleveland. That stretch demonstrated the 39-year-old’s ability to remain productive at this stage of his career, and a Richardson injury would thrust Flacco into the lineup just as Gardner Minshew was last year. For the time being, though, Richardson will remain in place as the team aims to continue developing him while rebounding from a 1-2 start.
AFC South seems to be the Texans. The other teams have horrible QB play so far.
Texans not great – their victories were over Colts/Bears and those came down to making a stop on the last possession. Then Texans were bbq’d like brisket in week 3….
Just put Flacco in now before the season is entirely lost. Richardson may eventually turn into a franchise QB (highly doubt it) but his accuracy is garbage.
6 interceptions in 3 games? His projected numbers for the rest of the season at his current pace, he will finish with 3,300 passing yards, 17 throwing TD’s and 34 Interceptions. I don’t give a crap about what he can do with his legs if this is the best he can do with his arm.
Flacco, Flacco, Flacco
Such a short sided decision this teams entire future hinges on Richardson and you knew that when drafting him he’d be a 2-3 year project. At this point play him see if he develops if not you’ll end up with a top 5 pick and can draft a new QB. Flacco puts you in that complete dead zone of where you don’t know if Richardson is getting better not playing and Flacco will at least get you 8 wins taking you out of contention to draft a new QB
Tom Brady made one Pro Bowl in his first four years. It wasn’t until year 5 that he broke the 90 QB Rating. His first MVP Award came in year 8…
Sorry @DeVious or anyone else that thinks Flacco is the right decision. This was not the Colts year and that was before the injuries hit the already brutal defense. Peyton had a passer rating of 71.2 with 3,739 yards, 26 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in 16 games in his rookie season. Let Richardson develop. This is not Bryce Young.
I’m not a Colts fan, just want that to be clear. I think Flacco is a better QB right now and I think the Colts want to contend.
I really don’t think Richardson can become the guy they are hoping he could be. Let him develop, no problem.
Flacco may not be the right decision in your opinion but Richardson doesn’t look like the future of that organization imo.
Give up on your top 5 pick in 7 games. Great thinking
The people on this site are so brain dead tbh. I just come here to laugh at the ignorance. Bench a kid 7 games into his career for Joe Flacco. Hysterical.
Not even half a season and it’s already time to call his career over, Flacco time boys.
Idiots around here
Interesting where this goes, you see I thought he had over achieved last year compared to how he looked in college. Prolly needs to get his head screwed on right after having success last year. So yes, I’m saying right now he seems to be full of his self!
Start Bench Cut??
Richardson, Levis, Young
Start Richardson
Bench Young
Exile Levis to CFL.
People want to just swap out QB’s like they grow on trees? Richardson has started, what 6-7 games for his career and you want to bench him already? That’s absurd. Let the kid make mistakes and grow by each game. He’s not going to win you any completion percentage titles in his career, but he’s the best viable option for a team that’s still trying to replace Peyton/Luck. You bench him, you basically lose faith in him and Flacco isn’t the answer for 2025.
Agree. Especially with a guy who missed most of his first season and was, according to most experts, a project QB with a high upside. If Indy pulls him now, they may as well do a complete teardown and start over.
Why stick with Richardson? He couldn’t hit completely open receivers, usually threw them a one bounce grass pass, never attempted to check out anyone except his primary receiver, and a lot of the time he would stand there and stare at his primary receiver as they ran their route. If his primary was covered he’d take off running. You might be able to get away with some of what his glaring flaws are in high school or maybe a small community college, but in the SEC, not going to happen. You could almost see the linebackers reacting to his eyes watching the receiver he was targeting. He thinks he’s Mahomes, but he plays like Tebow. His biggest weakness, leadership. He came in, played like crap, blamed everyone but the guy in the mirror, then took off for the NFL because he was afraid to take constructive criticism from his coaches, and actually improve his game. I almost fell out of my chair when he was picked in the first round. He has, no leadership qualities, very little game, no humility and is unable or unwilling to change his perspective. He’s a solid 3rd stringer in the USFL.
Bruh stop. You don’t know a darn thing
Really? Do you have season tickets to the Gators? Is your son an Alumni? Have you been going to games since Danny Wuerffel? Probably not. So please keep your uninformed opinions to yourself. This guy is one of the worst QB’s I have ever seen play, period.
I wouldn’t say worst, but his accuracy issues at UF were pretty bad. Not sure what the Colts saw in him at draft time.
I’ve seen a helluva a lot of QB’s in my time. All the way back to Spurrier being the QB for the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And yes, Richardson is that bad. When people in the stands know what play is being called and can tell you what he’s going to do, that’s a bad QB.
Sounds more like a bad coach if you knew what play was being called. What does the team have to lose letting Richardson play out the year, especially since he has only played a few real NFL games? Worst case is they get a high draft pick. Pulling him now won’t get Indy into the playoffs.
Third stringer in UFL my god humans
Bragging about your kid going to Florida lol
Gotta love this site. Biggest bunch of keyboard crybabies on any site except Reddit. Can’t understand that someone who played football for16+ years may know more than someone who sits home on the couch eating corn chips. Yeah, my kid went there. And? Some people get their PHD and some people work at Taco Bell and make fun of those who took the initiative to finish college. Wow, you guys would think you want Richardson to marry you the way you defend him and his ability to play. He’s another Ryan Leaf, Jamarcus Russell, Todd Marinovich, a waste of a 1st round draft pick. This is the same owner who brought in a coach, Saturday, who had never coached anywhere. You Indy fans are stuck with him and I’ll be laughing every time your Colts lose.
Nice story. Most of us probably have more experience playing and coaching football than you and may not be fans of Indy (not my team). I assume you’re sitting in your mom’s basement eating Spaghettios and ranting about quarterbacks you know nothing about. Enjoy your day.
Right. Think what you need to Richard. I assume you’re sitting there with a finger up your nose picking your dinner. Just because you are a loser doofus doesn’t mean we all are. Some of us are productive citizens who have real lives and not someone such as yourself who lives in a single wide trailer, listens to Kid Rock and drinks their supper. Go fire up your grill, put your road kill on (remember to skin it first this time,you know how bad burning hair stinks from when you tried to light your own fireworks) and watch you some of that there college football. We know you scored the winning touchdown for your high school back in the 90’s and you’re a living legend at Robert E Lee high school in East Bumf**k Alabama, but this is 2024 and you should move on. Hey, Taco Bell just called and needs you to come in tomorrow, gonna have to work a double to pay for that sweet 2006 Toyota Carolla you just got, nice spoiler and spinner wheels there buddy. Have a nice life Richard. I’ll be in the basement eating my Cheetos, drinking my homemade moonshine (lemon drop),watching my 90 inch tv,with your mom.
lol
Yes,he is funny and for the life of me I can’t figure out why his screen name is the same as what he calls his little soldier.
Uneducated. Extremely laughable. I’d call you a casual, but even casuals arent dumb enough to type that out, believe it was the truth, and still press post.
He’s an “expert.”
Gah damn nfl is brutal. Dude has only played 7 professional games and he’s already in bench talks
People on here love to trash Richardson, but it was always going to be a process. The guy needs reps. No need to act like all is lost when he’s had less than a full season in the NFL. He’s in good hands with Steichen and he’s two years younger than Bo Nix. Give him a little time.
But why does the process have to take place on Sundays? Richardson is SO raw, he could learn a lot from the sideline and during practice. They could put him back in the lineup once he has established some kind of foundation of development. Right now, he isn’t really developing. He’s just relying on his athleticism in order to survive. Jordan Love should be the model here. There’s no reason for the Colts to tank a season on a low percentage gamble. IMO Richardson is playing because the Colts are too proud to admit a mistake.
Seems more like Josh Allen is the model here. Allen was also a physical project with problematic mechanics and accuracy. I think Steichen is attempting the same kind of development here. It’s not like they’re contenders with Flacco in. That’s not to say sitting him might help, but I see the merit in what they’re doing, even if he’s taking some ugly lumps.
You’re correct that they are not contenders with Flacco either. Josh Allen is also solid comp, at least physically. But I think there is some value in being able to evaluate the rest of your offense while your project QB develops. Playing Flacco would give you the chance to do that. He gave the Browns that opportunity last season. Andy Dalton gave the Panthers that opportunity last week. The NFL is a QB driven league, but a coach can’t become so consumed with developing the QB that the rest of the offense is ignored.
There’s time to play Flacco to evaluate talent later if needed. QB is the most important position, so they need to know what they have (evaluate if he can be a great player) before throwing in the backup. Sink or swim time.
Not sure if you watched Richardson last Sunday, he didn’t look like he should be playing in the NFL.
I did. He had a rough game. Josh Allen had a lot of rough games when he was 22 and in his first season’s worth of games, too. A good coaching staff decided to take on a project. I think they should stick to their plan for the project.
EhhhJosh Allen is the high of the comparison. The low end has enough names that we could pick out a few.
It’s too early right now to demote Richardson, but at the same time, he was severely overdrafted. Ability questions aside, Richardson had major experience issues in college, many of which led to his simplified playbook at Florida and his difficulty in executing basic concepts in the NFL. He has extreme physical tools, but lacks experience and precision. The experience gap can exacerbate the latter issue, too.
A better comparison may be Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky only started a year at North Carolina, where he excelled. He was an athletic runner who played well, but lacked starting experience and was picked by a team desperate for a fresh quarterback that threw him in early.
Now, Trubisky also displayed accuracy issues, but in his case, had an early peak in success during his 12-4 season and made the Pro Bowl. It seems to me that that is typically the progression model with athletic QBs who lack precision passing ability and/or experience running a pro style passing attack: one or two peak years early (typically with four years of entering the league), and then drop off as their physical talents become easier to predict or injuries slow them.
It also seems that QBs take about four years of starting (between college or pros) to actually hit their peak. Trubisky’ speak, in our earlier example, came in his sophomore season in the NFL, which would be his third year starting overall, including his lone year at North Carolina doing that. Trubisky did, however, play in ten games here and there in college the year before he was drafted, adding a little experience. Much of the benefit here is not just being in the games, but also the off-season in being treated as the starter.
Dak Prescott is a counter example to Richardson in college. After three years in college, with two starting, Prescott was projected to be drafted, but had major questions about his accuracy and execution (no jokes about his professional career-these were questions of whether he could cut it at all, and he’s proven that he is, at least, an NFL starter). Prescott went back to college for his senior season, and changed his style to transition from a runner who passed to enable scrambling to a passer first who read the field. Prescott transitioned from a player similar to Richardson to a passer by adding more experience so he could be comfortable operating as such. Prescott didn’t get drafted as highly as Richardson, but by the time he got to the NFL, he had three years’ starting experience already and was able to at least lead a pro passing attack.
What’s my point, here? Well, it’s this: Richardson right now does not have the skill set to be an NFL franchise quarterback. This was obvious from when Irsay-err, the Colts picked him in the first round. At this point, however, he needs the time to develop those skills, and he can only do that by starting. If I am right, and most quarterbacks need three to four years of starts to truly be comfortable as starters, then Richardson won’t hit his actual peak until next year or the year after. Can the Colts wait that long for results, though? That’s up to them, but for the moment, it’s too early to pull him out. It may have to be reevaluated midseason to get a clearer answer as to his progress-or lack thereof.
NFL QBs have an average of 2.5 seconds to accurately throw the ball, know exactly where their WRs will be, all while feeling the pocket and reading the defense. You can have all the athletic ability, big arm, height, etc. But if you can’t make a decision in that 2.5 seconds, and throw accuately, you won’t succeed. The great ones like Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Mahommes, Manning, also had the sheer competitive drive to win in clutch situations. They made teammates better and demanded (and delivered) excellence. I’ll put QBs like Tua, Dak, Trevor, and even Lamar Jackson in the category of QBs who don’t have that competitive drive/excellence.
With Richardson, he shouldn’t step onto an NFL field until he learns to throw a ball accurately. Both he and Levis are painful to watch. NFL should go back to keeping these guys on the bench for a year or two (like Love and Mahommes) before trotting them out for horrible QB play, and hoping they figure it out. Trubisky and Fields were equally as clumsy on the field their rookie years. Both still aren’t starting caliber QBs.
This is certainly great news for the Steelers.
Good thing they didn’t fire Tomlin like all the message board people wanted last year, or the year before that, or the year before that.
That Indy/Chi game last week was full of horrible QB play
I like the kid but I think the Colts are putting too much pressure on him. They have a very solid runner in Taylor so there really is no need to be doing that. Like a lot of young QBs, Richardson tries too hard to compensate for his mistakes and things go from bad to ugly. There’s no question the kid has a dynamic skill set but to reach his potential he’ll need more patient and effective coaching.
And they’ll continue to underperform.
The usual NFL conundrum – Pure Athleticism or Football Intelligence. I think we all know what usually wins out…
No one says this about Lawrence, he’s double the trash Richardson ever will be and makes insane money.
The coaching staff and fans are fully behind Richardson; but it’s the Receiver room that is getting impatient and exasperated. Watch their body language when they work hard to get wide open, and Richardson misses by a mile. Happened some in game two and more so in game 3…
Sorry in advance for the book.
Even the most “I KNOW IT ALL” fan here is like all of us here, playing armchair QB.
So I’ll toss in my opinion as well. Want to know how to solve his issues? Listen closely… Let. The man. Ball.
We had a QB teammate in school who was similar to Michael Vick and while he run for like 200/yards a game and pass for 100/yards he avg 2 INTs /game the first five games of the season. Found out he was a student as much as possible but yet he just over thought everything to where he was like a stuck robot early on but when they cut the play book to our fast break two minute offense to catch up he ball out since our two minute offense was like 10 plays and we rolled him out alot.
Eventually the coach learned while he was studying hard it was just way too much info and he was overloaded so they asked his top 20 plays he would learn and he ended up with only I believe 3 INTs the rest of the 7 games we played including a playoff game. He balled out and while he never went to college it changed my perspective when I coached briefly.
So IMHO I think they are tossing way too much at AR to be this franchise pocket passer who stands this way, holds the ball this way, hips that way, learn 100 pages of plays all the while reading defenses, time manager and probably watching ebay for the next quirky thing Jim Irsay wants to buy. I think Florida tried something similar but with only 24 starts and wasn’t the starter until his senior year I don’t think they really invested into him until his senior year which which was way too late.
AR is basically a sophomore in playing experience. Not just in the pros but I’m guessing in many ways as a college player.
I disagree with Manning saying just play him because fans today, and society, want immediate results while not realizing that Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and more all had to wait on the bench and they turned out ok. I think AR should have waited until year three to be on the field I really do but we’re here so let’s do this thing.
So reduce the playbook THIS YEAR to his favorite 25 plays and tell him to master those. Teach him ONE physical aspect to help his passing which “touch and velocity” should be number one and allow him to slowly build and add upon both the playbook and the physical mechanics each year as he grows. Even is you’re 5-11 I rather have a 5-11 QB confidently going into his third year than a faux 8-8 QB that isn’t and won because despite him and still has major questions.
People forget, when football first came out they didn’t have all these plays they do now, it was limited plays then lineup and play ball. It’s what the ravens did when they beat our colts. Remember the quote by Ray Lewis, something about let’s just play ball and time after time teams I think were the lesser QBs beat us and our all world student of the game Manning folded due to imho too much pressure and stress in the playoffs kind of like AR now.
So Colts, simplify the game plan, don’t turn him into a game manager but, allow him to be that special talent he is and the Colts fans will have who I feel COULD BE the most feared player in a league since Michael Jordan.
Going all the way back to his high school career, richardson has exactly 1 winning season. 7-4 in his jr year of high school. Quickly followed up by a 2-8 senior season. Besides that 1 7-4 season, this guy has never even been a 500 qb.
One of most obvious busts I can remember in the draft
Wins and losses aren’t a good QB stat, let alone a good prognostic. Texas Tech had a losing record with Mahomes there.
Mahomes threw for over 4000 yards twice, and threw 36 and 40 touchdowns, respectively, as a starter. Oh, and he had a 150qbr all 3 seasons…..oh, and played for a dumpster fire Texas tech team
Richardson threw 17 (with 9 picks), for barely 2k yards. Had a 80 qbr, and played for a perennial powerhouse
one of these things is not like the other
I’m not saying they’re comparable. I’m saying Mahomes is a clear example of why team wins are a dumb way to judge an amateur quarterback. And Richardson did not play for a powerhouse. He didn’t have a ton of NFL talent around him.
I’m not saying he can play, but the mistake might have been starting him immediately. 13 college starts is ridiculously low. Bo Nix had 61 starts.