Colts rookie QB gets glowing review from teammate

Anthony Richardson. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Richardson gets glowing review from Colts teammate

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 5/18/23

Running back Jonathan Taylor isn’t the only Indianapolis Colts teammate overly impressed with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Though Gardner Minshew is Richardson’s competition for the Colts starting quarterback job, that didn’t stop the 27-year-old signal-caller from bragging about his new teammate’s maturity and physical skills.

"Obviously, the first thing (you notice) is just how impressive the ball just jumps out of his hand,” Minshew told reporters on Wednesday. “Physically, he's got everything you want. So from that standpoint, just seeing him is like, 'Wow, this dude's really got a chance.’ And then getting around him and seeing how he works, how he takes criticism and wants to learn and get better, all those things are really encouraging to be around."

Gardner Minshew on Anthony Richardson:

"I've been really impressed. A lot of times, the bigger guys with the big arms aren't as quick with some of the RPO stuff and the underneath (stuff). ... His feet are very quick, and I think he gets the ball out and can process fast." pic.twitter.com/kirEvJlr1I
— Barstool Indy (@barstoolindy) May 17, 2023

While Richardson is expected to be the Colts starter at some point this year, if not by Week 1, Minshew knew there was a chance Indianapolis would use its fourth overall pick on a QB when he signed with the team in mid-March.

As the Colts transition from rookie mini-camp to OTAs, first-year head coach Shane Steichen has not yet committed to a starting quarterback. There’s still an outside chance Indy could bring Richardson along slowly and that Minshew could be the team’s QB1 heading into the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 10.

But that doesn’t mean Minshew isn’t prepared for the day that Richardson does pass him on the depth chart.

"If you have a room that's splintered or rooting against each other, that's no fun for anybody, and it really pulls the team apart," he said. "So I think more than anything, you compete, and you compete to make each other better. You push each other, but at the end of the day whoever's out there, no matter who it is, we're all wanting to win and we're all wanting to help them win. … You want to help the room as much as you can, everybody that's in it."

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