It is not especially common for a highly drafted quarterback to be benched and then resurface as a long-term starter with that team, but two players from the 2023 draft are attempting such climbs anyway. Anthony Richardson has followed Bryce Young in being benched during the first half of his second season.
Like the Panthers’ Young benching, this is not viewed as a temporary reset that will assure Richardson of a path back into the lineup this season. Shane Steichen confirmed Wednesday (via CBS4’s Mike Chappell) that Joe Flacco is the team’s starter going forward.
Unlike the Jets’ 2022 Zach Wilson benching, Richardson will only drop to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Steichen confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder) the 2023 No. 4 overall pick will be Flacco’s top backup in Week 9. While Steichen said on multiple occasions Flacco is the team’s QB from this point on, the Colts are not giving up on Richardson in the long term. While Steichen had said Richardson playing was his best route to development, the Indy HC is backtracking on that now.
“I know I said that,” Steichen said, via ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder. “Things change. So I think right now, sitting back and seeing a veteran that’s done it at a high level for a long time, you can develop that way as well
“… It’s a difficult thing. But it’s my obligation to the 53 guys in this organization to win football games, and right now, I’m focused on the present: winning football games. We’ll get to the future when we have to get to the future.”
Given Richardson’s woeful work in the passing game this season and his highly unusual move to take himself out of the Colts’ Week 8 game for a play due to fatigue — a decision that has brought tremendous backlash — the Colts made a predictable call. Richardson’s 44.4% completion rate this season is 15 points down from his 2023 showing and doubles as the fifth-lowest mark through six games in the 21st century. For a second straight year, Flacco will step in as an emergency backup for a fringe playoff contender.
This will be a fine line for the Colts to walk, as Richardson is signed through 2026 but has seen the team that drafted him already bail on its initial experiment. The Colts turned to Richardson after several Flacco-like retreads did not provide stability. Philip Rivers was the best of that bunch, but the Colts rostered the potential Hall of Famer in his final season. Beyond Rivers, the likes of Jacoby Brissett, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan worked as Week 1 starters following Andrew Luck‘s retirement. The Colts turned to Gardner Minshew last season, and while they wanted to re-sign the veteran, the Raiders’ offer (two years, $25MM) came in well north of where Indy was comfortable spending on a backup.
Minshew’s insertion into Indianapolis’ starting lineup provided a boost to the team’s passing game, with Michael Pittman Jr. establishing career-high marks en route to an offseason extension. Flacco, who replaced Deshaun Watson and formed immediate connections with Amari Cooper and David Njoku last season, stands to be a better option to deliver on-target passes to the likes of Pittman, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell. Steichen selling this to his locker room is easier than continuing to trot out Richardson, who has not developed the way the organization had hoped.
Flacco boasts an 8-to-1 TD-INT ratio this season and threw for 359 yards in one of his two starts as a Colt, but he is 39 and signed to a one-year, $4MM deal. The Colts were the only team to offer him a contract this offseason, despite his Comeback Player of the Year season occurring in Cleveland — where the former Super Bowl MVP wanted to stay. Flacco’s role will be to attempt to help a 4-4 Indy squad to the playoffs, but Richardson’s long-term status remains the more interesting part of this equation.
Young is viewed as a potential 2025 trade candidate. Considering the Colts’ issues finding a long-term QB post-Luck, it stands to reason Richardson will have another chance. The team drafted Richardson as a raw prospect, one whose lone college starter season produced a 53.8% completion rate, and has only seen him start 10 games. Through that lens, this represents a quick hook, but as the Colts compete for the playoffs, they will shift Richardson’s development into the background.
Although players like Phil Simms, Alex Smith and Drew Brees managed to overcome early-career benchings en route to long starter runs — the latter two, however, did not become surefire long-term options until leaving their initial clubs — there are not many examples of the same franchise circling back to a QB it benched. Richardson’s unique profile should still give him a chance to buck the trend, but he has a long way to go. Rumors about his future figure to swirl between now and the Colts’ 2025 offseason program.
How Richardson didn’t drop into a late-round pick based on his lack of college experience or success is baffling, let alone be taken #4.
If I had a dollar for every fan who became a draft expert after the fact, I’d never have to worry about money problems again.
Well, as being from Florida and watching games, everyone was scratching their heads as to why someone would be stupid enough to take him in the first round.
As for actually playing professional sports, I can’t tell you how many times I see someone get drafted from “potential” only to fizzle out. That word gets thrown out too loose these days.
Even everyone who isn’t from Florida were scratching their heads
This wasn’t rocket science. Everyone outside of Indiana (and probably most people inside Indiana) was scratching their heads at the Colts’ pick.
Then why was I vilified for stating the obvious? Watching him at Florida was painful. Couldn’t hit a receiver at more than 5 yards, couldn’t read a defense for $hit, never even checked his secondary or tertiary receivers before running. He’s the whole package,of everything a pro QB shouldn’t do.
You are just talking out of your behind. The vast majority of people had him as a first round pick. Bleacher report had him as the #7 prospect. He’s not been good, but no quarterback taken after him has been either.
link to syndication.bleacherreport.com
Okay keyboard tough guy. Did you ever even play the game? And Madden doesn’t count. Go back to your mom’s basement, she’ll call you when breakfast is ready. No QB taken after him has done anything? What does that have to do with anything? Ryan Leaf,Jamarcus Russell, Akili Smith, David Klingler. They were sure things, ranked by the experts too. They’re never wrong though.
Tough guy?!?! Insecurity showing much? I refuted the point that no one thought he was a first round draft pick. No one is claiming he has played well but he wasn’t a head scratcher. Colts desperately needed a qb after passing on one for years and years. It hasn’t worked out so far but who the hell else were they supposed to try? Still better than will levis or hendon
hooker
I hate to say I told you so, but I did.
@cross – lots of folks were questioning the pick and his ranking. Watched all his games at UF and his decision making and consistent inaccuracy on throws had him as a 5th round pick at best IMHO. He has a strong arm and is an athletic beast, but that doesn’t always equate to success.
I think anyone with a brain knew BEFORE the draft that he was only worth a late round pick.
Say what you want about his passing (he’s coming off shoulder surgery and I think the colts lead the league in drops), but it is a directionless team that spends a top 5 pick on a QB and gives them 10 games to prove it. Top 15 QB rookie contracts are one of the best assets in the sport. If the team felt they had to make the playoffs this quickly, what were they doing drafting the known biggest project prospect in the draft? Even if they make the playoffs, it’s 40 year old Joe flacco that’s going to unseat Mahomes and the unbeaten chiefs? If anything, this dynasty is the ideal time to sell a fanbase on building slow for the chiefs to age out
He wasn’t coming off of shoulder surgery at Florida. I watched the games because my kid went there and he’s a huge Gator fan. He had the exact same tendencies in College. You can’t stand there and stare at your primary receiver as he runs his route then on the off chance the secondary isn’t watching your eyes and he gets open you throw a 10 yard pace, unfortunately he’s 15 yards away. He should be a wide receiver, not a QB.
Same here – my kid goes there and watched the games only to witness the poor decision making on the field and lack of accuracy. Painful to watch.
This has very little to do with my comment. In fact I literally caveated “say what you want” which means “his talent is not the focus here”.
A team that picks a qb top 5 and only intends to give them 10 games to prove it, is and will remain to be one of the worst franchise’s in the sport. It’s ok to miss on picks, happens all the time – but to take an advertised “project” and determine after less than a season that he can’t start because you NEED to make the playoffs right now, makes no sense. People talk about Bryce Young, he got a whole season plus 2 games (still too short, but the panthers are not a team to use as a role model).
Shoot, Peyton Manning was allowed to go 1-15 for this same franchise before becoming a hall of famer. Not saying Richardson is Manning, but thank god the colts let him play through week 11 his rookie season.
My comment is merely to say, this move clearly demonstrates the colts leadership is disconnected and employing counter productive strategies for the teams future. Concerning yourself with short term one and done playoff runs with a 40 year old qb is not how anyone has previously built success in this league.
When you pick a guy at #4 he should be able to walk on the field day one and play at a high caliber. This guy couldn’t play in college and he’s even worse now that the game has sped up. He reminds me of a peewee league kid who thinks he’s Mahomes. Running and throwing and missing his receivers, watching his primary the entire time, trying to juke professional players is different than putting a move on a third string linebacker from East Texas Farmers college. He has no talent, he has no upside. This guy makes Danny Wuerfel look like Joe Burrow.
Let’s be honest — picking Richardson at #4 was a desperation move by the Colts for all of the reasons stated in this article. Since Andrew Luck’s retirement, the closest thing Indianapolis’s has had to a true franchise QB is the lone season they got from Philip Rivers.
Richardson bears responsibility for his mental, physical and skill development. He is young and so there is still the possibility that given an atmosphere where the entire future of the franchise isn’t weighing on his shoulders, he will get better and perhaps round out to a serviceable lower-tier starter or higher-tier backup.
Colts GM Chris Ballard bears a lot of responsibility for being willing to settle for Richardson with a high pick, when they had every opportunity to trade down and stockpile more draft capital while signing a veteran QB to a shorter-term bridge contract. Ballard — under intense scrutiny and demands for results from not only his boss (Jim Irsay) but also a fan base that has not enjoyed sustained success since Peyton Manning left the team. That Ballard was willing to overlook a number of flaws in Richardson that had other teams avoiding him suggests a compromised Colts player evaluation and development process.
Expect Chris Ballard to either resign or be fired at the end of this season.
How about Young for Richardson straight up? Perhaps a change of scenery for both might do the trick.
Then Indy takes on more money for an undersized guy who also can’t play QB. They should bite the bullet and trade him, but I wouldn’t feel the need to bring Young back. Send him to Carolina for a roll of tape and let him and Young compete for the job each week. Carolina is so dysfunctional, why not have a weekly qb competition?
Colts need a new GM. My understanding is this guy never won the AFC South in all his time there.
They need a new owner
Steichan simply wants to win. Richardson still has a future but Flacco can throw the ball. Can this team make a playoff run?
They have to contend with the chiefs, ravens, and bills, all while running out a below avg defense…. So no
Dairy – they only play the Bills from your list of 3 teams. If you mean after making the playoffs, might play 1 or 2 of them; might not play any of them. But, can they make the playoffs behind Flacco? Absolutely!
Unless the poster is crazy enough to think they can compete with those three teams for the top spot in the AFC?
They have no chance of beating out one of those three teams in the AFC bracket, if they make the playoffs, to make the Super Bowl. If it was simulated 1,000 times with this colts team, they would have 0 Super Bowl appearances.
Every team should try to make the playoffs to some degree, but how much should depend on your window and strategy. The colts were bad enough to be picking top 4 two years ago, and they’re sitting that pick instead of maturing him. This is not a typical Super Bowl window resume by any objective measure.
For the sake of exercise – Please name the last team that picked top 5 and two seasons later made the Super Bowl without that top 5 pick playing that season.
The comment asked “can they make a playoff run?” This phrase typically means a run in the playoffs, not a run to the playoffs. Who cares if they make a run to the playoffs? 1/3 of the AFC has two wins right now, so I’m sure it’s in the realm of possibility to do that.
After that, a 40 year old immobile qb and below avg defense is not winning a Super Bowl. It’s just wasting time and draft capital that could be used maturing and securing better talent
I was thinking a run into and during the playoffs. Possibly even a WC upset but the players have to rally around him …
They were one dropped pass away from making the playoffs last year. Sure they can make a run.
This guy reminds me of EJ Manual from Florida State…just because a guy plays for a big school doesn’t mean he is a NFL quarterback…Brock Purdy played for Iowa State…not a college powerhouse but he is turning into a very good NFL quarterback…Richardson was terrible in college and it’s carried over to the Colts
Richardson was overrated and the Colts got caught up in the hype…..wasted pick
Lots of teams are hoping to find their Lamar Jackson. But he might be the greatest running qb of all-time with a decent arm and good instincts. It’s a pipe dream to think there are multiple Lamars in every draft.
A lot of championships have been won without Lamar type QBs. It’s true that a running QB provides extra versatility at the position but that benefit also comes at a greater injury risk.
You cant draft a raw QB who needs to play and then not play him…
Im not willing to completely write him off, but the odds of getting value from this pick without letting him take his lumps are low.
You certainly CAN draft a raw QB and have them sit and learn. The Packers did just that with Jordan Love.
I think thats a false equivalency.
How many starts did Jordan Love have in college vs AR?
Did AR have a HOF/MVP level of QB to learn from?
AR played in something like his third home game early this year.
He needs reps. They drafted him knowing that.
By the time you need to make a decision on AR, its likely your opinion will be incomplete if he sits.
Not impossible – but we gotta stop comparing situations to the outliers and pretend they are common today.
*road game
Been telling you guys how bad this guy was at Florida, but all I did was get crabbed at and told he had potential. NO, he doesn’t. The entire team had a party when he left, not because they would miss him, but because they were glad he left. He has none of the attributes of a professional QB except he’s fast or was. No field vision, can’t read a defense, throws a mean 1 bounce pass to open receivers, and thinks he’s the best QB ever. He’s this years Terrell Pryor, a wide receiver masquerading as a QB.
Poor kid
Simply stated:
Whomever made the call to take him at #4
JUST PLAIN BLEW IT !!
Try, Try Again.
The team drafted Richardson as a raw prospect, one whose lone college starter season produced a 53.8% completion rate, and has only seen him start 10 games.
=========================
Everything that argues in favor of bringing him in slowly, not starting him in game 1.
It’s becoming cliché that:
head coach: “We’re looking into every position” (to take attention away from the quarterback position)
Only the QB is benched.