Colts' Anthony Richardson: Facing job battle with Jones
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Colts coach Shane Steichen recently said Richardson (back) and Daniel Jones will split first-team reps this spring and into training camp, Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star reports.
Taken fourth overall in the 2023 draft, Richardson has missed 17 of a possible 34 games because of injuries and was benched for another two for performance reasons, with lowlights of his career to date including a 47.7 percent completion rate in 2024. It at least sounds like he'll be healthy for the start of the offseason program, after missing the final two weeks of last season with a back injury. Jones has his own shortcomings and is highly unlikely to ever be anything more than a low-end starter or solid backup, but superior accuracy on short passes is one clear edge he has over Richardson, along with a better track record of availability (although that hasn't exactly been a strength for Jones, either).
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Competition arrives
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Richardson (back) looks slated to spend the offseason in an open competition for the No. 1 quarterback spot with Daniel Jones, whom the Colts signed to a one-year contract Wednesday, Stephen Holder of ESPN reports.
General manager Chris Ballard has stated that Indianapolis will hold an open competition to determine a Week 1 starter for the 2025 campaign. That QB battle will take the form of Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, versus Jones, a 2019 first-rounder who started for New York until 2024, when he was benched and ultimately released. Richardson has struggled with both consistency and availability across two seasons in the NFL, having appeared in just four games as a rookie and 11 games in 2024, though he has displayed a higher potential ceiling than the more experienced Jones. Training camp and the preseason will prove pivotal for the careers of both Richardson and Jones, as the pair of signal-callers compete for one starting job.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: To face open competition
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Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that Richardson (back) will face "an open competition" against whoever the team brings in at quarterback this offseason, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Ballard announced in early January that Richardson wasn't locked in atop the depth chart, but his use of the term "open competition" is a clearer indication that the QB will need to truly earn any starting reps he receives in Year 3. Joe Flacco is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, but Indianapolis could find another veteran on the open market or select a signal-caller in April's draft. Richardson missed the final two games of the 2024 campaign due to a back injury, but there have been no indications it's still an issue for him.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Will face competition in 2025
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Speaking with the media Friday, Colts GM Chris Ballard said Richardson (back) will face competition at the quarterback position next season, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.
"We knew when we took him it was going to be a roller coaster," Ballard said of Richardson. "The number one thing we have to figure out and have to work through is he's got to stay healthy. That, to me, is the biggest question. We have to have competition at the position because competition makes you better and because he's not proven he can stay healthy for 17 games." Joe Flacco was signed to be Richardson's backup last offseason, but his one-year deal is set to expire in March, and at 40 years old (next week) he's not realistic competition. The Colts hold the No. 14 overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, and the roster has needs all over. Whichever way Ballard tries to find that quarterback competition, it's become clear that Richardson's leash is tightening in Indianapolis after he's started just 15 of a possible 34 games across his first two seasons.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Still not practicing
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Richardson (back) remained sidelined at practice Friday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
Richardson also was listed as a non-participant Wednesday and Thursday, so it doesn't seem likely he'll be available for Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars. If that's the case, Joe Flacco would be in line to start at QB for the Colts for the second straight game.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Still not practicing
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Richardson (back) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
Richardson was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's walkthrough, so the QB's absence from Thursday's session puts the focus on what he's able to do Friday in terms of his availability for Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars. If Richardson is unavailable versus Jacksonville, Joe Flacco presumably would draw the Week 18 start for the 7-9 Colts.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Feeling better, could play Sunday
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Richardson (back) was listed as a non-participant after Wednesday's walk-through practice, but Colts head coach Shane Steichen hopes the quarterback can play Sunday against Jacksonville, Amanda Foster of the team's official site reports.
Richardson revealed Wednesday that he was barely able to walk last Tuesday because the pain from a disc issue in his back was so bad. He said he's feeling "way better" this week and will try to play in the season finale, hoping to finish out a disappointing campaign with a strong individual performance and a Colts win. Richardson also revealed that he's dealt with back spasms since eighth grade and has issues that "might be chronic," but won't necessarily require surgery, per James Boyd of The Athletic. None of this is good news for his long-term outlook, nor for his Week 18 rushing projection if he plays.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Could play Sunday
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Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that he's hopeful Richardson (back) will be available for Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Back issues prevented Richardson from playing in Week 17, but the quarterback could return to action this weekend depending on how he fares in practice over the next three days. With the Colts holding a walk-through session Wednesday, what Richardson is able to do during Thursday's session will provide a better indication of which direction he's trending in for Sunday's contest. For his part, Richardson -- who dislocated that he's dealing with a disc issue -- said Wednesday that he's feeling much better this week compared to last, per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Will start Sunday if healthy
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Richardson is continuing to get treatment on his back spasms and will start Week 18 versus Jacksonville if he's healthy, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.
Richardson also has been dealing with a foot injury, but head coach Shane Steichen indicated last week that the back problem -- which he clarified to be back spasms Monday -- was the bigger issue. Steichen did indicate Monday that Richardson is feeling better, so there's a legitimate chance the rookie QB could return to a starting role Sunday. If Richardson can't play, Joe Flacco -- who threw for 330 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions Sunday in a loss to the Giants -- would likely start behind center again.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Ruled out for Sunday
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Richardson (back/foot) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game against the Giants.
After failing to practice in any fashion Wednesday through Friday, Richardson had taken a questionable tag into the weekend, but the Colts ultimately weren't confident enough in his ability to play through the pair of injuries. Joe Flacco will draw the Week 17 start in place of Richardson, whose injuries aren't viewed as serious enough to prevent him from playing in the Colts' regular-season finale versus the Jaguars next weekend, per Stephen Holder of ESPN.com.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Questionable after three DNPs
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Richardson (back/foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants, Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports reports.
Richardson didn't practice in any capacity throughout the week, but head coach Shane Steichen isn't ready to rule out the starting quarterback for a game the 7-8 Colts have to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Steichen said Richardson's back is bothering the quarterback more than his foot and that the next 48 hours will be pivotal in determining Richardson's availability. If Richardson's ruled out prior to Sunday's 1:00 p.m. EST kickoff, Joe Flacco would make his fifth start of the season.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Doesn't appear to be practicing Friday
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Richardson (back/foot) didn't appear to be participating in Friday's practice, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN.com and Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis.
Richardson was listed as a non-participant on practice reports Wednesday and Thursday and could be headed for another DNP on Friday. If Richardson is unavailable for Sunday's game against the Giants, veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco would be in line to start in his place.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Optimism regarding Week 17 status
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The Colts are reportedly optimistic about Richardson (back/foot) playing Sunday against the Giants, per Stephen Holder of ESPN.com.
Per the report, Richardson has made consistent progress and is responding to treatment, but the QB's performance in Friday's practice will be critical in determining his Week 17 status. After being deemed a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimate, Richardson didn't participate in practice Thursday, which led to Joe Flacco taking first-team signal-caller reps in his place, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Opens week as a non-participant
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Richardson was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimate due to back and foot injuries.
The Colts didn't hold an actual practice Wednesday, but Richardson's inclusion on the team's initial injury report makes his status worth tracking as Sunday's game against the Giants approaches. The quarterback has two more chances to upgrade to full participation before the team assigns Week 17 game designations.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: QBs to Start
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Richardson once again used his legs to have a solid Fantasy outing in Week 16 against Tennessee, and he should do something similar in Week 17 at the Giants. Against the Titans, Richardson ran for 70 yards and a touchdown, which is the fifth time in his past five games that he's scored at least 6.1 Fantasy points with his rushing totals alone. He has five rushing touchdowns over that span as well, and he should be able to run through the Giants defense. Now, he was only 7-of-11 passing for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against the Titans, but he scored 22.2 Fantasy points. And he's hit at least that mark in three of his past five games, which is why I like him as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 17.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Only 11 pass attempts in win
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Richardson completed seven of 11 passes for 131 yards with one touchdown and one interception and added nine carries for 70 yards and another score in the Colts' 38-30 win over the Titans on Sunday.
The erratic second-year signal-caller wasn't asked to do much Sunday, with Jonathan Taylor shouldering the bulk of the load on offense via a 218-yard, three-touchdown performance. However, Richardson managed to make good use of his sparse opportunities as a passer, connecting with Josh Downs for his one touchdown pass and averaging 11.9 yards per attempt. Richardson also provided his usual standout production on the ground, setting a new career high in rushing yardage and scoring his sixth rushing TD of the campaign on a five-yard run early in the second quarter. Richardson's passing production is going to remain volatile from game to game, but he'll have another favorable matchup in a Week 17 road clash with the Giants.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Rushing TD, two picks in loss
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Richardson completed 17 of 38 passes for 172 yards with two interceptions while rushing seven times for 46 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-13 loss to the Broncos.
Richardson scored a 23-yard rushing touchdown on the opening drive, marking his fourth rushing score in the past four games. He hasn't been nearly as successful with his arm as his with his legs, and Richardson's accuracy issues unsurprisingly resurfaced against the tough Broncos secondary. He completed just 44.7 percent of his passes and was intercepted twice, dropping his TD:INT as a passer to 7:11. Richardson's rushing ability should keep him fantasy-relevant in Week 16 against the Titans, but he'll have a low floor due to his struggles through the air.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Sleeper QBs
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Richardson got great news Wednesday with Josh Downs (shoulder) returning to practice, and hopefully he's ready to play coming off the Week 14 bye. The Broncos also could still be without cornerback Riley Moss (knee), and his absence was huge in Week 13 against Cleveland when Jameis Winston had 497 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Richardson has scored at least 25.2 Fantasy points in two of his past three games, and he has scored at least 6.1 Fantasy points with his legs in three outings in a row, with three rushing touchdowns. I'm going to trust Richardson as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in Week 15.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Plays hero in New England
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Richardson completed 12 of 24 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in Sunday's 25-24 win over the Patriots. He added 48 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, and also ran in a two-point conversion.
That two-point conversion came with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, after Richardson had led a five-minute scoring drive that he capped with a three-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce on fourth down. A poor completion rate is simply part of the package with the second-year QB at this stage of his development, but there's no denying Richardson's athletic upside, and since reclaiming the starting job for the Colts he's produced six touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) in three games. The Colts are on bye in Week 14, giving Richardson time to recharge ahead of the team's final push for the playoffs.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Struggles with accuracy Sunday
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Richardson completed 11 of 28 pass attempts for 172 yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers while rushing 10 times for 61 yards in Sunday's 24-6 loss to Detroit.
Richardson failed to complete 50 percent of his pass attempts for the fourth time this season. The only other game in which the sophomore had a worst completion rate was when he infamously removed himself from a contest against the Texans in Week 8. Richardson showed some life after being reinstated as starter with three total touchdowns against the Jets last week, but that was also against the Jets. Perhaps the young quarterback can get back on track against a three-win Patriots team next Sunday.
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