Anthony Richardson threw 22 incompletions Sunday and took the rare step of asking out of a game due to fatigue. Viewed as a developmental player with a high ceiling, Richardson has not shown consistency since debuting in Week 1 of last season.

The Colts saw the 2023 No. 4 overall pick complete 10 of 32 passes (including 2-for-15 in the first half) against the Texans, and while they only lost to the AFC South leaders by three points, they have not seen Richardson make strides in Year 2. Richardson did not benefit much from his rookie year, seeing a shoulder injury end his season early, but the Colts are at least a wild-card contender in the AFC tied to an unreliable quarterback.

As it stands, Shane Steichen said Richardson remains Indianapolis’ starter. But the second-year Colts HC, responding to a question about Richardson’s Week 9 status, said (via ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder) the team is “evaluating everything.” The Colts have Joe Flacco in place as their backup and used the 39-year-old veteran in two starts while Richardson rehabbed an oblique injury. The Colts kept Richardson in their lineup after struggles before his oblique issue; they appear to be giving stronger consideration to taking the other route now.

For the season, Richardson has completed an astonishing 44.4% of his passes. That is the fifth-lowest number through six games since 2000, per ESPN Stats and Info. Richardson was at 59.5% before going down last season. The Florida product is still 3-3 as a starter who has averaged 7.2 yards per attempt, but he ranks 27th in QBR and last among qualified options in passer rating. Flacco has completed 65.7% of his throws while filling in this season, throwing seven touchdown passes compared to one interception.

Richardson exited Week 8 with a 4-to-7 TD-INT ratio. The highly touted prospect has 242 rushing yards but has completed 10 or fewer passes in four of the five games he finished this season, significantly hindering Indianapolis’ offense. Both Steichen and center Ryan Kelly spoke to the QB after his decision to tap out for a play following a scramble in Houston. It would stand to reason that will be factored into Steichen’s Richardson-or-Flacco decision for Week 9.

“We had a conversation about it this morning in the quarterback room, which I’ll keep private,” Steichen said. “But, obviously, in those situations he knows on those type of deals, you can’t take yourself out and it’s a learned experience for him and he’s got to grow from it.”

Still just 22, Richardson came to Indianapolis after starting one season at Florida. While dazzling at the 2023 Combine, the 6-foot-4, 244-pound passer also struggled with accuracy with the Gators. He completed less than 54% of his throws during the 2022 season. The Colts will need to balance Richardson’s long-term development with a chance to make the playoffs. Steichen had previously said Richardson needed playing time to improve. The former Eagles OC stepped back a bit from that stance Monday.

“I think it could go either way,” Steichen said of a quarterback developing by playing or observing. “There’s certain [teams] that throw guys into the fire early and there’s other guys that let them sit back and watch. Like I’ve said before, the more you play, the more you learn at that position. But is there a benefit sometimes in sitting back and watching it? Yeah, of course there is.”

The fact that the Colts went from 2017-23 with seven different Week 1 starting QBs — tied for the second-longest stretch since the 1970 merger — and cycled through veterans post-Andrew Luck will undoubtedly factor into their decision as well, but Richardson is officially on notice. The Colts would be unlikely to go through with a benching that leaves Richardson’s long-term future in doubt, as the Panthers did with Bryce Young, but they would need to walk a fine line if they sit their prospect midway through his second season.

OCTOBER 5: After practicing on a limited basis during the week, Richardson was initially listed as questionable. He was downgraded to doubtful on Saturday, however, suggesting Flacco will be in line to make his first start since signing with Indianapolis.

SEPTEMBER 30: Anthony Richardson was forced out of yesterday’s game with a hip injury, but there’s a chance the Colts quarterback doesn’t even miss Week 5. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Richardson was diagnosed with oblique and abdominal strains, and the QB has “a shot to play” on Sunday against the Jaguars.

[RELATED: Colts’ Anthony Richardson Leaves Game With Injury]

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport echoes this report, noting that Richardson’s injury isn’t believed to be serious. In fact, Rapoport says the quarterback likely would have returned to the game had it been the playoffs or a crucial, late-season contest. We heard something similar yesterday, as Richardson told reporters that he attempted to return to the contest again but was overruled by head coach Shane Steichen.

Richardson suffered his injury during the second drive of yesterday’s game. The former fourth-overall pick was only sidelined for a pair of plays before returning to the contest. The quarterback took another shot on the subsequent snap, knocking him out of the contest for good.

Despite Richardson’s inconsistent play to begin the 2024 campaign, Colts fans have surely been holding their breath over the past 24 hours. Richardson was limited to only four games as a rookie. He first missed a game due to a concussion, and he later suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Richardson was dynamic in his return to the field in Week 1 of this season, tossing a pair of touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. However, between Week 2 and Week 3, he completed only 50 percent of his passes while tossing five interceptions.

Fortunately for the Colts, the team has one of the top contingency plans in veteran Joe Flacco. The 39-year-old made his season debut in relief of Richardson yesterday, completing 16 of his 26 pass attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns in a Colts victory.

The Colts’ frustrations with the quarterback position continued today when starter Anthony Richardson exited today’s game with a hip injury. The second-year passer out of Florida hopes not to miss much time, if any, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, and he will be evaluated throughout the week.

Richardson actually left the game twice today. Early in the team’s second drive of the game, Richardson walked off the field after hurting his hip. Veteran backup quarterback Joe Flacco stepped in for two plays before Richardson returned to the game. Inexplicably, Richardson’s first play back on the field was a read-option keeper that immediately saw the young quarterback take another shot and, once again, exit with injury.

Luckily for the Colts, Flacco showed up in much the same manner as he did as an emergency starter for the Browns last season, throwing two touchdowns en route to a victory over his old division-rival Steelers. Flacco was signed to a one-year, $4.5MM deal to come to Indianapolis over the offseason due to injuries Richardson sustained in 2023.

Richardson started four of five games to open his rookie season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. For the remainder of the year, the team relied on Gardner Minshew, who performed admirably enough to earn a Pro Bowl bid but wasn’t able to get the Colts to the playoffs. Keeping in mind the injury history and lack of starting experience of Richardson, it made sense for Indianapolis to bring in an experienced, veteran option like Flacco.

Moving forward, it sounds like Richardson will be looking to continue in his starting role without missing any time. In fact, he told reporters today that he attempted to return to the game again today, but head coach Shane Steichen overruled him since he wasn’t 100 percent, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder. While the Colts will hope to see him return soon, the team knows now that Flacco has the ability to step up and win games off the bench, if necessary.

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.

The Colts rolled into the 2023 NFL season looking forward to No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson leading their team as the quarterback of the future. Unfortunately, just over a month into the season, the Florida rookie underwent season-ending shoulder surgery with only four starts under his belt. On The GM Shuffle podcast this week, Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard gave the most recent update to Richardson’s health.

Since the initial injury news, we’ve seen an in-season update confirming that Richardson would not require a second surgery to repair his AC joint injury and an update in February that he had started throwing again, shortly after the conclusion of the postseason. Most recently, we heard at the end of March that the 22-year-old was on track to participate in spring practices.

Richardson was, indeed, able to participate this spring. He was reportedly a full participant in organized team activities recently, only minimizing his workload on the final day of OTAs after two heavy throwing sessions in the days before. He was even a reported full participant on Day 1 of minicamp, though he left Day 2 early and was not in attendance on Day 3.

Reports have come in that Richardson’s lack of participation was due to shoulder soreness. While that’s reasonably understandable following two days of heavy throwing, it’s still a bit of a concern following the nature of Richardson’s injury.

Despite the implication that such soreness and reserved participation point to his injury not being 100 percent healed, head coach Shane Steichen and Richardson himself both insist that his absence was merely a precaution. The Colts maintain that Richardson’s soreness and lack of participation at the end of minicamp will have no impact on Richardson’s participation in training camp. The second-year passer is expected to be “full go” at camp this summer.

The offense around Richardson will look much the same upon his return. The main differences are that, after minimal work with All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor as a rookie, the two should get to share the field a bit more in 2024. Additionally, Richardson will have a new target in second-round receiver Adonai Mitchell. He’ll also have a new mentor as the Colts essentially exchanged primary backup quarterback Gardner Minshew for veteran Joe Flacco, both of whom served their teams well in injury replacement duty last year.

Last month, Anthony Richardson resumed throwing in a notable step forward in his rehab process. The Colts quarterback continues to make progress while recovering from a sprained AC joint.

That shoulder injury led to season-ending surgery early in Richardson’s rookie campaign. He remains the team’s clear-cut starter ahead of the 2024 season, though, with backup Gardner Minshew having been replaced by Joe Flacco. Richardson could be back to full speed as early as OTAs.

I think he’ll be good to go for spring practice,” head coach Shane Steichen said, via the Indy Star’s Nate Atkins. “Obviously, we’ve got to limit it and monitor it and don’t go overboard, but I couldn’t be more excited to get him back going again.”

Indeed, a cautious approach would be wise on the team’s part with respect to Richardson. The 21-year-old suffered multiple injuries before the AC joint sprain which ultimately sidelined him during a season in which he showed flashes of the two-way abilities which led to his high draft selection. Added with the fourth overall pick last April, Richardson faces the expectation of giving Indianapolis a long-term contributor under center for the first time since Andrew Luck. 

The latter’s sudden retirement decision in 2019 came about after multiple major injuries, and his absence has proven to be challenging to overcome for Indianapolis. For that reason, it comes as no surprise general manager Chris Ballard has echoed Steichen’s desire for a slow rehab process as it pertains to Richardson.

“I lived through the last one and I learned a lot of lessons living through the last one. Forgive me for being a little cautious,” Ballard said at the NFL scouting Combine when asked about the Florida product. “I know Anthony has made some statements that it’s important to be ahead of schedule. We’re here to pull the reins to make sure we don’t get too far ahead of schedule and we’re staying with whatever the doctors are telling us.”

The Colts’ OTAs are set to take place May 21-23, as well as May 29-31. That will be followed by mandatory minicamp from June 4-6. As things currently stand, Richardson will be able to take part in those practices in advance of training camp during the summer.

Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson‘s first NFL season came to an unceremonious end when he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery just over a month into the year. Four months later, Richardson is continuing on the road to recovery, progressing to the point that he is now once again throwing a football, per Mike Chappell of FOX59 News.

Soon after returning from an early concussion, Richardson was once again forced out of a game in Week 5 of the season, this time with an injury to his throwing shoulder. After some deliberation, both Richardson and the team made the decision to go under the knife, putting an end to his rookie year. Two weeks after undergoing surgery, team owner Jim Irsay relayed that no new issues had emerged during his procedure, negating any need for a potential second surgery to repair his AC joint injury.

This newest update continues to demonstrate positive momentum for the 21-year-old passer. Richardson will continue inching his way back to a full recovery as the team will likely take every precaution with their investment at the quarterback position. If he continues at this pace, the hope is that Richardson will be ready to throw competitively by organized team activities and, eventually, be full-go by training camp. For now, the young quarterback has been going back and forth between Indianapolis, where he continues to learn under the coaching staff, and Jacksonville, where his rehab is taking place.

The Colts were surprisingly able to stay competitive after losing their starting passer this year. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew even made a Pro Bowl after winning seven of his 13 starts in replacement duty. Minshew, though, is set to test free agency, so the return of Richardson in time for the season becomes that much more important.

While there still is no timeline for Richardson’s return, the progress seen by the team’s quarterback is encouraging so far. He’ll continue to rehab throughout the offseason, and the team will likely reassess around OTAs.