Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen and team owner Jim Irsay raised eyebrows when they recently suggested they won’t limit how often quarterback Anthony Richardson makes plays with his legs even after he dealt with multiple physical setbacks as a rookie last season.
For a piece published Wednesday, The Athletic’s Colts insider James Boyd insisted that the club is not “underrating the risk of injury during Richardson’s runs” heading into the signal-caller’s second pro campaign.
“[Steichen] knows Richardson must stay on the field, but at the same time, his legs are what set him apart from other players at his position,” Boyd explained. “Indianapolis can’t play scared after investing in a quarterback with the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft.”
Specifically, Steichen likened telling Richardson to avoid making risky scrambles during meaningful games to limiting “Steph Curry from shooting three-pointers.” Irsay later mentioned that the Colts made Richardson the fourth overall pick of the 2024 draft partly because “he can be dangerous and pick up critical yards at critical times” on the ground.
Richardson was shaken up late into his NFL regular-season debut last September before he suffered a concussion in Week 2. His campaign ended when he suffered a worrisome shoulder injury in just his fourth career start.
“The Colts aren’t likely to change their approach with Richardson,” Boyd continued. “However, it’ll be interesting to see how he changes his approach on run plays. I believe his season-ending injury last year was more unlucky than the result of an unwise decision, but he also didn’t slide much as a rookie. Obviously, knowing when to get down will be huge for Richardson’s availability.”
Richardson attempted only 84 passes and 25 carries during regular-season play last year. Thus, it’s largely a mystery what he will and won’t be against live defenses beginning with Indianapolis’ Week 1 game against the Houston Texans on Sept. 8.
“Richardson has looked a lot sharper through the first few days of camp this year compared to last year,” Boyd noted. “He’s much more decisive with his throws, and even on [run-pass options] and zone reads when he’s deciding to keep the ball or get it to a teammate. Game reps are still crucial to his development since he only had 173 offensive snaps, but so far he’s clearly taken a step forward.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Richardson fourth among the betting favorites at +600 odds to win this season’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. Logic suggests he won’t remain part of such conversations for long unless he embraces sliding to end runs sooner rather than later.
