Shortly after Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard confirmed during the NFL Scouting Combine that 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson will be part of an “open” competition for the starting job this summer, some said the Colts could and even should look to land a replacement for Richardson this offseason.
However, Colts insider James Boyd of The Athletic suggested on Wednesday that the plan is for Richardson to enter September as the club’s QB1.
“Ballard is probably trying to set up a smoke screen here because it would be downright unfathomable for Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, to lose the starting job before he starts another game,” Boyd explained. “If anything, the ‘open’ competition Ballard declared seems to be a message directed at Richardson in the hopes the young QB comprehends what’s at stake for him in what is likely a make-or-break season — for him and perhaps this regime in 2025. The bottom line is that whichever starting-caliber QB the Colts reel in, that player will have to be content with Richardson being the Week 1 starter, with a chance to possibly usurp Richardson if he struggles again in 2025.”
Ballard acknowledged in January he wanted to bring in competition at the quarterback position after Richardson endured accuracy issues, was benched for two November games and missed time due to multiple injury setbacks this past season.
Per Pro Football Reference, Richardson ended the campaign ranked last in the league with a 47.7 percent completion percentage and a 61.6 passer rating. He tossed just eight touchdown passes and 12 interceptions over 11 games.
Minus the two-game benching, injuries limited Richardson to just 15 starts over a possible 32 career contests. Nevertheless, it was reported that Colts fans shouldn’t “bet” on the club eventually pursuing Aaron Rodgers because Indianapolis’ “history with an aging Matt Ryan in 2022 left a distaste in the organization for older quarterbacks.”
It appears that history will also keep the Colts from calling the Los Angeles Rams about potentially-available signal-caller Matthew Stafford.
“It seems unlikely the Colts would be willing to part ways with draft capital for another aging QB,” Boyd added. “The draft also feels like an unlikely path to acquire another QB to challenge Richardson, so all that leaves is free agency. Some of the top signal callers on the market include Daniel Jones and Justin Fields.”
Fields may not “have to be content with Richardson being the Week 1 starter” because other teams are reportedly interested in signing the current Pittsburgh Steelers backup. Jones, meanwhile, could be looking to resurrect his career coming off a cup-of-coffee stint with the Minnesota Vikings.
Either way, it sounds like Richardson would have to take multiple steps in the wrong direction from now through the preseason for him to lose the Indianapolis starting job before Week 1 gets underway.
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