When the Carolina Panthers stunned the NFL world in September by benching quarterback Bryce Young, the fallout from the decision reverberated around the league.
Was a franchise that invested big money to select Young the first to give up on him a total of 18 games into his professional career?
Had Young started his last game for the Panthers, if not in the NFL?
The sentiment around the league focused the decision on three key principles: the need to rebuild Young’s confidence, the shallow talent pool around him and the need to create a winning culture with first-year head coach Brian Callahan.
Young was unable to take his team to the next level or even keep it afloat, the Panthers felt. His skills and size were not a recipe for success. So Callahan announced the decision, and the Panthers won their next game before losing five straight games.
Fast forward to Tuesday, and news broke of a second quarterback in the 2023 first round.
It’s easy to associate the Indianapolis Colts’ decision to bench Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, with benching the man drafted three spots ahead of him. But a closer look at the Colts’ decision to move on from Joe Flacco shows just how different almost everything about these players is.
Shane Steichen on Anthony Richardson 2 days ago: “We’ve just got to keep working through it. He’s got a good work ethic. He’s fighting his way through these things. Man, it’s a process. We’re in it together. That’s why I say this thing is together. This is not about one man.”
Now he’s on the couch. pic.twitter.com/kKVqe1sWiu
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 29, 2024
Where Young’s 6-foot-4, 204-pound (generous) frame hurts him, Richardson’s 6-4, 244-pound frame attracts talent evaluators. Where Young’s 27 collegiate starts and 949 college pass attempts gave decision makers a good look at his potential, Richardson’s 13 starts with 393 attempts left them projecting heavily into big question marks.
And while the Panthers considered how the locker room would view Canales if he didn’t play the quarterback who could most help them win at the moment, Colts head coach Shane Steichen arrived in Indianapolis last year after coordinating an NFC championship attack in Philadelphia. Steichen led the Colts to a surprising winning record (9-8) in his first year in 2023, despite losing Richardson to season-ending shoulder surgery after just four starts.
The Panthers (1-7) have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times playoff forecaster. The 4-4 Colts still have a 30% chance.
As is often the case with teams’ decisions on young quarterbacks, what’s best for the team in the short term may not be best for the team in the long term.
So let’s take a look at how we got to the Colts by benching a player who arguably needs more experience than anything else, and what the franchise is risking with this decision.
Colts outlined a plan for Richardson – and now they’re abandoning it
After Andrew Luck retired from the Colts before the 2019 season, the Colts searched for years for an answer to their quarterback question.
They acquired Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan. Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II each got one season. No one won a playoff game, and Rivers was the only quarterback in those five years to reach one. The franchise wanted a longer-term answer, a home run like they found in Peyton Manning and then Luck.
So they drafted a high-risk, high-reward quarterback. Richardson’s athleticism and playmaking skills were enticing; the Colts insisted they were willing and ready to go through the development process as he pursued the fulfillment of his potential.
“What we saw with Anthony was the positive side of what we thought he could do moving forward,” general manager Chris Ballard told Yahoo Sports during training camp last year, before Richardson’s pro debut. “Obviously you’d want him to start 30 games in college, but he didn’t. … He has work to do, but he is very talented and we are prepared to weather the bumps he will take.
“I think we’ll see a lot of good things too.”
Fast forward to now, and on either side of shoulder surgery in October 2023, the Colts have seen both. Through 10 games over the past two seasons, Richardson has completed 50.2% of passes for seven touchdowns, eight interceptions and 1,535 yards. He has also rushed for 378 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
The highlights have turned heads, from Richardson’s four rushing touchdowns in just four games (and not even a full one) last year to the two passes Richardson completed for more than 60 air yards in the Colts’ first game this season against the Texans . Richardson found receiver Alec Pierce for a touchdown that traveled 65.3 air yards, becoming the first player in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) to record two such completions in the same game.
“You want guys who can create and create big plays,” Ballard said. “You have to do it outside the structure of the X’s and O’s. I think that’s what the special players really do. … There are times to do it, there are times not to do it. I think that’s just going to be part of his growth, knowing when and when not to.
Richardson probably doesn’t realize that yet. At times his protection has let him down, with his targets dropping passes 11 times in 10 games, according to Pro Football Focus.
Still, the offense in Richardson’s hands ranged from inconsistent to incompetent. Richardson’s 57.2 passer rating ranks 34th among the 34 quarterbacks who have attempted at least 100 passes this season. His 32.4% success rate (at least 40% of required yards on first down, 60% on second and 100% on third and fourth) also ranks 34th of 34, according to Pro Football Reference.
Flacco, who is being promoted by the Colts ahead of Richardson, ranks eighth with a 102.2 passer rating and 21st with a 43.9% passing percentage.
It’s easy to argue that Flacco is more ready to win against the November gauntlet of the Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Detroit Lions. That seems to be affecting Ballard as he clings to a job in an impatient league. Only Chris Grier of the Miami Dolphins has lasted longer than Ballard without a Super Bowl appearance. Since his hiring in 2017, the Colts have reached the playoffs twice and won just once, a wild-card game following the 2018 season.
Ballard is eager to end that drought and secure his job for 2025. Steichen, meanwhile, wants to show team owner Jim Irsay that last year’s success with Minshew was not a fluke, but an indicator of his ability to take his cast to the next level lift.
So at .500, with Houston two games in hand in the AFC South, they’re hoping Flacco can live up to the magic of the playoff berth he gave the Cleveland Browns in relief last season.
Maybe.
But what impact will this have on Richardson, who said after the loss Sunday that he is a “great passer” who can “run the ball way better than any other quarterback,” except maybe Lamar Jackson?
Ballard’s words from 2023 ring hollow with this pivot.
“Every quarterback needs time and he needs to play,” Ballard told Yahoo Sports 15 months ago. “There will be some hills and there will be some really good moments and there will be some really bad moments. I think you can just look at the history of most young quarterbacks and they go through that and you just have to stick with them and let them learn and grow.
“And don’t jump out of the abyss and lose yourself.”
As Colts bounce back, expect them to “evaluate” everything – QB included
If Ballard’s definition of losing himself was a reversal of course on Richardson’s snap count, the Colts wouldn’t have fallen into the abyss on Sunday after the Colts’ 23-20 loss to the Texans.
“We just have to keep working through it,” Steichen said after the game. “[Richardson]has a good work ethic. He grinds through these things. Man, it’s a process. We do it together.
‘This isn’t about one man. It’s the team.”
On Monday, Steichen’s support was weaker. Whenever asked if Richardson would start, the head coach said, “We’re evaluating everything.”
Steichen discussed “ongoing conversations” about the QB’s role in his offense, improving the game and alternatives to dropbacks. How could the Colts alleviate the throws that bothered Richardson, and how could they simplify defensive diagnostics for a player with far less experience reading coverages than most?
Steichen began to hedge the Colts’ party line that playing Richardson was the best route for his development.
“I think it could go either way,” Steichen said. “There are certain guys who do that [you] throw it into the fire early. There are other guys, let them sit back and watch. The more you play, the more you learn at that position. But is there sometimes a point in sitting back and watching? Yes, of course it is.”
Richardson will now have that advantage.
He’ll also get a chance to take advantage of what center Ryan Kelly called a “teachable moment” for a young player after Richardson pulled himself out of Sunday’s game to rest.
Richardson’s decision to join a play because he was “tired, I’m not going to lie” has drawn criticism. Coaches and executives around the league are wondering about the impact on a locker room full of players who were likely tired as well, but fought through it while their leader rested.
“He knows that’s not the standard he has to meet and the rest of the team is holding him to it,” Kelly said Monday. “I’m sure he will have some criticism about that, and rightly so. That’s a cool look. [But] If anyone ever wonders how hard he plays, I don’t think that’s the case.
“If you watch the film, we certainly didn’t move the ball effectively at times. But he gives everything for his teammates.”
When will Richardson get the next chance to give his all for his team?
It’s unclear.
Some in the league wonder how a quarterback comes back from this relegation, while others argue that a player who can’t bounce back from the humiliation doesn’t have the tools to be a franchise player after all.
Young’s next starting opportunity came six weeks after his benching, when Andy Dalton sprained his thumb. Young threw for 224 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
That’s not necessarily indicative of Richardson’s next move, given how different the circumstances of their benchings are.
Expect the Colts to continue evaluating his growth.
“We dissect everything and evaluate everything,” Steichen said. “We all have to get better. We’re at .500. When we look back at what we’ve done, there are a lot of areas where we can improve. I’m not just talking about the quarterback. I’m talking about everything.
“We have to move forward better.”
