Stampede Blue
A quarterback change is coming for the Indianapolis Colts.
After much speculation surrounding a possible change at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, the team made their decision Tuesday afternoon, opting to bench second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson for veteran backup Joe Flacco, per multiple reports. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the news.
According to Schefter and other reports, the Colts’ coaches came together to make this decision on benching Richardson.
Flacco is now expected to start on Sunday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. The 39-year-old has appeared in three games for the Colts this season, with two starts against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. Flacco is 1-1 on the team’s starter and now appears to be taking over for the foreseeable future.
On Monday, Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen was noncommittal on Richardson being Indianapolis’ starter against the Vikings, stating that the team would “evaluate everything.” Now, the move has been made to turn to Flacco.
According to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, the Colts have no plans to quit on Richardson. Holder also adds that, according to a team source, the decision is based on wanting Richardson to “take a step back, take a break from the pressures of the job and try to grow during this time.”
Richardson has had his share of struggles as the Colts’ starter this season. Through six starts, the 22-year-old has completed an NFL-low 44.4 percent of his passes for 958 yards with just four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
But as a whole, Indianapolis’ offense has struggled at points this season, even with Richardson as the starting quarterback. The Colts rank 17th in the NFL in yards per game (326.0), 19th in scoring (21.9 points per game) and 21st in passing yards (198.0), according to IndyStar.
Despite the team’s message of not planning to quit on the former No. 4 overall pick, their actions of benching Richardson in favor of Flacco possibly adds uncertainty about their plan at quarterback past this season.
For a franchise that has preached patience with Richardson’s development, this move sparks a clear change in the team’s thought process. As of now, it’s unclear if Richardson will return as the Colts’ starting quarterback in 2024.
