Colts' Anthony Richardson Faces Most Pressure

There is immense pressure hanging over the head of the Indianapolis Colts heading into the 2025 season. With training camp beginning on Wednesday, July 23rd, it's imperative that the Colts elevate from a previous two disappointing seasons.

While head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard have plenty of pressure on their shoulders, it pales in comparison to Anthony Richardson's.

Richardson was taken to become a permanent solution at quarterback for the Colts. While it was understood he might take time to adjust and match the technicalities with his physical tools, nothing could have prepared the Colts for how bad he's been.

Bleacher Report has Richardson with the most pressure on his season of any Colts player, and it's warranted given how the squad took him fourth overall in 2023. Moe Moton goes straight to the point regarding Richardson's possible fate if he doesn't catch up to Daniel Jones.

"Regardless of how the Indianapolis Colts see the quarterback competition heading into training camp, Richardson must make up ground in the coming weeks. If not, as a backup, his future with the team would be in doubt."

Richardson is only 15 games into his NFL career and just 23 years old. But, in the NFL, when you're selected in the top five to stabilize a franchise at the game's most important position, patience is little and time is short to prove it.

Richardson, sadly, has looked anything but like a franchise quarterback.

Richardson has all the tools to pulverize defenses, and he's shown it in small glimpses throughout his two pro years. But it's the brutal inaccuracy, inexperience, and confusion that made Richardson look like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league last year.

Richardson only completed 47.7 percent of his 264 passing attempts. His 126 completions in 11 games average out to 11.45 per game, which isn't good. Richardson also threw 12 picks and fumbled nine times.

Richardson has been compared to Josh Allen as a developmental quarterback, but he isn't remotely close to the Buffalo Bills' MVP. Allen might have had his struggles early in his career, but he vastly improved in year two with 20 touchdown tosses to just nine interceptions (2019).

Allen did this in 16 games, while Richardson threw more interceptions in five fewer games in 2024. Case and point, Richardson is farther from being Allen right now than the Earth from the sun. Richardson is currently trying to supplant Jones as the starter, and the former New York Giants QB has the lead.

Richardson has a chance to shut the door on doubters and critics, but if the analysis is based on what he's shown throughout his short time in the league, it doesn't look promising at all. Richardson must put on the performance of a lifetime to remain relevant in Indianapolis.

If Richardson can't make this happen, his time in the Circle City could be considered over.

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