Colts enter the offseason unsure if he is a franchise QB

NEW YORK — No matter what happens in the final two games, the Colts will enter the 2025 offseason without satisfactory answers to the questions about Anthony Richardson’s ability to develop into the franchise quarterback this team so desperately needs.

There are still reasons to believe Richardson could one day reach the high ceiling that Indianapolis decision-makers saw when they drafted him.

But it’s the same reasons that existed when the Colts drafted him, and the questions about Richardson’s long-term viability have only grown.

The latest twist in Richardson’s second season is another milestone.

Indianapolis downgraded Richardson from questionable to out on Saturday and ruled the 22-year-old quarterback out of Sunday’s game against the Giants with back and foot injuries long before the Colts knew whether they would play Saturday afternoon against the Chargers and Broncos would be eliminated.

Anthony Richardson injury update:Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson will not play against the New York Giants

“He was just sore, really sore all week,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Friday. “I’m smart about that.”

According to Steichen, the back injury is more of a short-term concern than the foot injury. According to a team source, Richardson suffered from back spasms that limited his mobility and movement, and the injury did not improve as the Colts expected this week.

In the long term, the number of injuries for the Colts is increasing. Richardson has now missed 16 of a possible 33 starts in his NFL career due to four different injuries: a concussion that cost him a game as a rookie, a season-ending sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder and a hip/oblique injury in Pittsburgh at the beginning of this season and now with his back and foot with the season potentially on the line against the Giants.

Colts decision-makers have repeatedly downplayed any concerns about Richardson’s ability to stay healthy while playing as a power-consuming, physical runner.

It’s difficult to downplay these concerns now.

A player’s ability to stay healthy is an inevitable part of the evaluation for any NFL player. Every team, including the Colts, has either released a player or allowed him to leave in free agency due to concerns about the player’s durability, and while three of Richardson’s four absences have been short-lived, the number continues to rise.

Availability is even more important at the quarterback position, a fact Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay acknowledged at the 2023 owners’ meetings, a month before the team drafted Richardson, who struggled with injury concerns due to the draft.

“I know (quarterbacks) have to stay healthy, that’s important too,” Irsay said at the time. “When we got Andrew (Luck), it was like, ‘Andrew, I know you’re going to run, but you’ve got to turn it off when you’ve got to turn it off, because you’ve got to stay on the field and.’ stay healthy.'”

Richardson’s inexperience and inaccuracy were the other two main questions the quarterback had to answer.

When the Colts selected Richardson with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, the organization clearly indicated it knew it would take a long time for Richardson to realize the potential of his raw, unfinished physical ability.

Indianapolis decision-makers have stayed true to that message, preaching patience, even after Shane Steichen decided to bench Richardson for two weeks earlier this season because of concerns about the 22-year-old quarterback’s preparation and love for the “We had a lot of detail in the “little things,” as Steichen called it.”

The little things, the details in meetings and walk-throughs, may seem insignificant at first, but in a league where teams adjust each play based on the opponent’s performance, those details can matter a lot on Sundays.

The Colts believe Richardson has become much more professional in his preparation since then, but the benching was a reminder that the quarterback’s lack of college starts – he managed just 13 at Florida – is a significant obstacle to making it overcome.

“I think it’s a marathon,” Steichen said. “Obviously he’s played more than he has in a long time and he’s made a lot of progress since his return.”

But even after the bench move, Richardson’s inaccuracy – and all the factors that play into it, including his ability to read defenses, find the right receiver and get the ball there in a timely manner – has only improved so much.

After surprising almost everyone as a rookie by completing 59.5% of his throws on 84 attempts, Richardson has completed just 47.7% in 2024, and that number has only improved slightly to 51.1% since switching to the bench.

Richardson has been hurt at times by his supporting cast, falls and issues in pass protection, but like the injury problem, the sheer magnitude of the problem is unavoidable. Richardson’s .477 completion percentage is by far the lowest in the NFL among passers with over 200 attempts this season; The second-lowest mark is Carolina’s Bryce Young at 60.2%, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks Carolina has an edge over Indianapolis in terms of developing talent.

Richardson can also make up for his lack of completion percentage by making more explosive plays than other quarterbacks, but the lack of completions – he has completed more than 12 passes in just three of his 11 starts – has led to lulls in which the offense is completely at one is -dimensional and prone to 3-and-outs. His periods of inaccuracy and times when he didn’t make decisions quickly enough also resulted in 12 interceptions.

There are still reasons to believe in Richardson.

Tall, powerful and dynamic, Richardson is a unique Cam Newton-style weapon who is an incredible runner in both the open field and short distances. His arm strength can produce supernatural plays, like the 60-yard touchdown pass he uncorked to Alec Pierce in the opening game.

Richardson is also excellent at avoiding sacks, a skill that many young quarterbacks take a long time to learn.

Free agent quarterbacks available for 2025

Making matters worse is that there are no obvious improvements in sight if the Colts want to move on from Richardson after two years, a decision they have given no indication of. Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins and Pittsburgh’s backup Justin Fields could be the best veteran options if Minnesota re-signs Sam Darnold; The Colts won’t hold a pick high enough to have a chance on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward in a draft widely considered thin on quarterback talent.

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