Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has reportedly aggravated his right shoulder joint injury. He’ll miss the rest of the season after surgery. This was a significant blow after missing all three practices this offseason so far this week. Now, he’s not going to show up for the next three-day mandatory minicamp.
Richardson was the highest quarterback taken, going with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, injury issues have marred his young career. He’s missed 17 games the past two seasons due to various maladies. This factors in 12 games missed due to a prior shoulder sprain. Colts coach Shane Steichen was adamant that Richardson take his time to heal and recover completely before returning to the field.
Steichen expressed optimism about Richardson’s progress before the latest injury, stating, “He was in a really good spot. He was throwing it good. Meetings were good. He was making really good progress.”
The Colts are yet to do anything on the roster to replace their QB1. Steichen highlighted that the team needs to practice patience with Richardson’s recovery. “Not going to put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we’ll ease him into throwing and then we’ll go from there,” he said.
Without Richardson, Riley Leonard figures to take his place and likely become the No. 2 QB. By adding Daniel Jones, the Colts have dramatically upgraded their quarterback room. He’ll add exciting competition to the mix as he joins the team on a one-year, $14 million deal. Steichen noted that Jones will receive significant practice repetitions in Richardson’s absence, adding, “Daniel will get a lot of reps and then we’ll see how it plays out.”
Prone to injury Richardson’s history is clogged with red flag warnings about his ability to withstand a long NFL season. Colts general manager Chris Ballard remarked on the need for competition within the quarterback position, stating, “We’ve got to have competition at the position just for the fact that competition makes everybody better, and then two, he’s not proven he can play 17 games.”
Leave a Reply