Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is off to a rough start in his second NFL season.
He may have lost his job after Sunday’s performance in a loss to the Houston Texans.
Head coach Anthony Steichen was asked twice Monday if Richardson is still the Colts’ starting quarterback.
“Right now, today, yes,” Steichen said.
Steichen was then asked to clarify whether Richardson would start next Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
“We are evaluating,” Steichen responded.
So maybe.
Colts rolled the dice on drafting Richardson
The Colts selected Richardson with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL draft based almost solely on the upside of his tremendous arm strength and athleticism. After one season as Florida’s full-time starter in 2022, it was clear Richardson was a raw prospect with major concerns about his accuracy.
Richardson completed just 53.8% of his passes in his final college season. But he tantalized NFL scouts with an SEC-best 14.5 yards per completion and 654 rushing yards on 6.3 yards per carry with nine touchdowns on the ground.
Richardson has regressed in his second NFL season
The book on Richardson was that if he could develop his accuracy, he would become one of the NFL’s most dangerous weapons. It’s a path Josh Allen has taken on his way to becoming one of the league’s best quarterbacks after similar concerns about his accuracy followed him out of Wyoming.
Ten games into his NFL career, Richardson has shown little sign of development. In fact, he has deteriorated. Richardson’s rookie campaign was limited to four games due to multiple injuries. But he showed his upside, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 11.5 yards per completion. His completion percentage of 59.5% left room for improvement.
In six games as a starter this season, Richardson has taken a step back, and the concerns that followed him from Florida have only grown. The deep balls are there. Richardson leads the league with 16.2 yards per completion and has thrown multiple highlight-reel touchdown passes. But his 44.4% completion rate doesn’t match that of an NFL backup, let alone a starter. That includes his 4-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
More battle on Sunday
The first half of Sunday set a new low. Richardson completed just 2 of 15 passes before halftime against Houston. It was the full Richardson experience, as one of his two completions was a 69-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs.
Richardson finished the day completing 10 of 32 passes (31.3%) for 175 yards with one touchdown and an interception that put the Texans inside the Indianapolis 10-yard line before halftime.
The Texans converted the turnover into a touchdown and won the game 23-20.
Richardson made matters worse for himself by leaving the game briefly in the third quarter. It wasn’t so much the fact that he left the game that caused concern, but rather his explanation after the game.
“Moe, I’m not going to lie,” Richardson told reporters about his departure. “That was a lot of running that I did, and I didn’t think I could play that next play. So I just told [head coach Shane Steichen] I just needed a break there.”
Would Richardson benefit from some time on the bench?
Backup Joe Flacco entered the game on one play following Richardson’s departure on third-and-goal in the third quarter. It was Flacco’s fourth appearance this season, including two starts when Richardson was injured.
The Colts’ offense performed better with Flacco, who completed 65.7% of his passes for 7.5 yards per attempt with seven touchdowns and one interception this season. The Colts are 4-4 and out of the playoff race in the AFC.
Meanwhile, Richardson was thrown into the fire as an NFL starter from Day 1 despite being a raw prospect. Would he and the Colts mutually benefit from a midseason quarterback change that would allow him to learn and develop off the bench?
