Colts Gave Anthony Richardson Limited Help This Offseason

The Indianapolis Colts drafted quarterback Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL draft, fourth overall, hoping his development would match his astronomical athleticism. However, it hasn't panned out even close to that.

The good news? Two things. One, Richardson worked with quarterback guru Chris Hess (helped 2024 MVP Josh Allen). Two, Richardson has competition in Daniel Jones to get the best out of the young field general. However, CBS Sports' Jared Dubin doesn't buy into that Indianapolis has helped Richardson.

Here's the beginning of Dubin's argument.

"The Colts brought in "competition" for Richardson in the form of Daniel Jones, but we're going to treat him as the starter here nonetheless. And honestly, they didn't do much here. In fact, by letting both Will Fries and Ryan Kelly leave in free agency, you can argue they allowed the supporting case to atrophy a big despite drafting Tyler Warren in the first round."

Jones has struggled to find his footing in the NFL, as well. Through his time in the league, he's been sacked constantly (not entirely his fault), turned the ball over, and lost far more games than he's won. However, Indianapolis might be the best team he's ever played with, top to bottom, offensively.

As for allowing former center Ryan Kelly and Will Fries to depart in free agency, both made sense. Kelly was allowed to walk due to mounting injuries and being 31 years old. For Fries, he outplayed what the Colts could afford, netting a five-year, $87,720,000 contract with the Minnesota Vikings, where Kelly also ended up.

Richardson now has Tanor Bortolini at center and likely Matt Goncalves at right guard, two young talents who showed promise last year.

Dubin concluded with this analysis of a few Indy draft selections.

"They also got a developmental tackle in Jalen Travis and a complementary running back in DJ Giddens and a, frankly, Jones-esque quarterback in Riley Leonard. The first-round pick makes it seem like the Colts gave Richardson a bunch of help here, but the rest of their activity belies that, in my opinion."

Dubin mentions that all of the Colts' picks, minus round one selection Tyler Warren, made sense and helped Richardson. It's too soon to definitively tell, but these picks can possibly prove Dubin wrong and help Richardson.

DJ Giddens was considered a steal in the fifth round. Jalen Travis has impressive size and can develop into a solid tackle by starting as a swing tackle. Finally, Riley Leonard was mostly to replace former third-string QB, Sam Ehlinger.

Regardless, if Nubin's article comes true, Richardson might be in for another tough season. Offensive line is crucial for his success, as is more receiving weapons and additional skill sets in the backfield. These factors must come together to help Richardson in the biggest way.

This is likely the last chance for Richardson to prove himself, so he'll need to answer the pressure to retain the starting job at quarterback.

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