Though nothing has been confirmed as of this writing, rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is expected to miss Week 3 for the Indianapolis Colts due to a concussion he suffered in the second half of Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans. That means the Colts, who have started the past six seasons with six different quarterbacks (Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan and Richardson) will be forced to turn to backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Richardson, who has posted four touchdowns (one passing, three rushing) in his first two career games, was drafted out of Florida with the No. 4 pick in April’s draft to put a stop to the quarterback carousel in Indianapolis. The Colts knew Richardson was raw (13 career starts with the Gators), but nonetheless threw him to the wolves to start the season despite the risk that the dual-threat QB would get injured early in his career or the 21-year-old’s inexperience would hurt the team.
The latter has not generally been an issue as Richardson has completed 30-of-47 passes for 279 yards and rushed for 75 yards in his two career starts in the NFL, but the former certainly has been a problem as the young quarterback has left both of his games due to injury and now will probably not be suiting up for Week 3.
Things Are Getting Messy Between the Colts and Jonathan Taylor
Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay certainly isn’t helping to resolve the situationThat’s somewhat par for the course in Indianapolis as the Colts have not done a very good job managing and supporting their quarterbacks in recent years. An unpolished passer who largely relied on his legs in college, Richardson likely would have been better served by sitting for a year (or longer) and learning what it takes to play quarterback in the NFL the same way that All-Pros including Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers did. In a year that the Colts are clearly not contenders, why not let Minshew take the reins and allow Richardson to develop? Wouldn’t that have been the best long-term decision for the franchise?
And, if the Colts were dead-set on starting Richardson as a rookie, why not surround him with the best possible talent in order to make his difficult job easier? Indianapolis could have supported Richardson by making a deal with their best player, running back Jonathan Taylor, but instead allowed a contract dispute with the lead rusher of the 2021 to end with him being sent to the physically unable to perform list and missing at least the first four games on the season. The 24-year-old could return to the Colts in Week 5, but Indy is still trying to trade him.
If Taylor does come back in Week 5, there’s no guarantee he’ll be returning to play alongside Richardson as he could be out with a concussion, the ankle or knee injuries that hampered him in Week 1 or another ailment.
In related news, here’s what the Colts’ former franchise quarterback Andrew Luck was up to on Thursday night…
More Like This
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
