Just two weeks ago, second-year man Anthony Richardson lost his role as starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts to nearly-40-year-old Joe Flacco. After a two-game stint on the bench, the Colts will reportedly turn back to their sophomore quarterback for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.
Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen has spoken highly of Richardson, believing he has seen significant growth in his 22-year-old quarterback the past two weeks. “Over the last two weeks, he’s made strides in those areas, big-time strides in becoming pro’s pro” Steichen commented.
Yet, two days before the switch back to Richardson, Steichen told the press “right now Joe is still our guy,” sending signals of a team unsure of what its future looks like quarterback-wise.
Growing pains were always expected in Indianapolis, as the team knew drafting an experimental quarterback would warrant struggles, along with his strengths. However, Richardson has struggled mightily into his young career. Prior to the benching, Richardson had completed just 44% of his passes, with five total touchdowns and seven interceptions. If Richardson is to hang on to the team’s most important position past the 2024 campaign, he will need to improve his stats tremendously.
Adding to his struggling play, Richardson willingly took himself out of a scoring drive in his last start against rival Houston Texans, later telling the press he was “tired.” The following week, Richardson’s starting role was taken from him.
Through his struggles and eventual benching, the Colts have made it clear a return to Richardson was always on the horizon. “(Steichen) told me my time was going to come again and I didn’t know necessarily when it was going to be. But I was preparing as if I was the starter. And nothing’s going to change. I’m going to work a little bit harder to keep this job.”
After the benching, multiple teams reached out to the Colts to inquire about the possibility of trading for the young quarterback. They were all shot down.
While a “thankful” Anthony Richardson looks to win back his coaches, the locker room has rallied behind their leader. “That’s the type of person and player that Anthony is,” Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner said. “He wants to be great, and he’s willing to listen. That’s why we have so much confidence in him.” Cornerback Kenny Moore II say “You just want to gain the respect and trust of your teammates. (Richardson’s) doing all he can.”
During his two games behind Joe Flacco, Anthony Richardson was seen hyping up his teammates, being the last man into the locker room, making sure everyone got a high-five.
With the team behind him, the Colts hope to see enough results from Richardson this season to extend his job another season.