Stampede Blue
Deja vu, I have been in this place before
There seems to be a vicious cycle repeating itself over and over again ever since Anthony Richardson was drafted with the 4th overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft. Needs playing time and practice reps to reach his full potential as he is still raw -> Cannot stay on the field because of injuries -> When he does play he is still raw and it shows a lot, fans defend him saying he needs more playing time, and back to square one. What can the team do when there is seemingly no reasonable path for their young quarterback to become that franchise cornerstone to lead the team for the next decade?
Sometimes rookie quarterbacks suffer from unreasonable expectations, poor supporting casts, or mediocre coaching. That has not been the case at all with the Indianapolis Colts and Richardson. As a small market team the national spotlight and scrutiny was never too focused on AR, he has a relatively talented supporting cast, one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and Shane Steichen is a solid head-coach. This is not a case where a change of scenery could help him, as I doubt there is a better landing spot for a young quarterback in today’s NFL than Indy is right now. There is a chance that he overcomes this new injury and is ready for training camp, but with his track record if I had to bet the O/U on games started by Richardson this season I would just close my eyes and bet on the under. Daniel Jones and rookie Riley Leonard are intriguing options. Now I am not saying good or bad, because last time I said that I would like to see Daniel Jones as the starter people where reacting like I claimed he was the second coming of Joe Montana suiting up for the team. I am saying intriguing. One could argue that DJ never got an honest shot in New York, and Riley Leonard has shown flashes for Notre Dame. We will probably see the two of them starting at one point or another next season, as currently my base case scenario includes Anthony Richardson not suiting up for more than ten games, and the Colts wanting to check out what they have in Riley Leonard.
At this point in the offseason though, there is no telling how the quarterback situation will unfold for the Colts, but my gut tells me that the long term answer for the team is just not on the roster right now. With perhaps the best quarterback class in recent memory coming up, there is a decent chance that the Colts are picking another signal...
