Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon praises Colts quarterback ahead of preseason clash

The Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts have had joint practices this week and to cap off their time together, both teams will face each other in a preseason game today in Indianapolis.

Coming into the battle of two teams who are searching for their first win before the NFL regular season starts, one player is looking to prove a point after an injury-riddled 2023: Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Richardson, Indianapolis’ fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, suffered a concussion against the Houston Texans in Week 2 before a Grade 3 AC joint sprain in Week 5 vs. the Tennessee Titans. Originally listed out for 1-2 months, the Flordia native would miss the remainder of the season having just played four games.

Undergoing successful shoulder surgery and recovering from the sprain, Richardson returned to action last Sunday and completed 2-of-4 passes for 25 yards before being taken out of the Colts’ preseason debut vs. the Denver Broncos.

Getting more and more reps before his second year in the NFL, his dual-threat capability of being a talented passer and runner of the ball has been well-documented despite the small sample size in the league.

Watching his team and the Colts practice together, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon spectated Richardson from afar and spoke highly of his mobility as well as his throwing ability at a media availability on Thursday.

“He’s a big dude,” Gannon said. “Obviously the arm strength is there, he can get it [the ball] out of his hand quick. You saw him tuck and run and he was into the secondary before you blinked your eye. He’s got a very bright future, especially getting coached up by the guys coaching him up.”

For Florida in college, Richarson threw for 3,105 yards from completing 215-0f-393 passes and 24 touchdowns in 24 total games. The Gators named him the starting quarterback in 2022 and that was when he shined, passing for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while also rushing for 654 yards and nine touchdowns.

It is unknown as to Indianapolis’ usage of Richardson against Arizona but no matter what, he will be a player the Cardinals will keep their eye on each and every snap he performs.

Kick-off between Arizona and Indianapolis begins at 4 p.m. PT. To catch all of the action, tune into CBS 5 to watch and listen to Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.