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The Indianapolis Colts have talent, especially on offense, but they don’t have a legitimate quarterback to run the show, at least not yet.
Over the last five years, they have shuffled through multiple candidates, including Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan.
Last spring, they drafted Anthony Richardson out of the University of Florida with the No. 4 pick in the hopes that he would be their QB of the future.
Richardson, a bulky 6-foot-4, 244-pound prospect, saw his stock rise coming out of the 2023 scouting combine, which likely resulted in him going so high in the draft even though his college stats weren’t extremely impressive.
He showed short flashes of potential as a rookie before a shoulder injury terminated his year after just four games. Without him, the Colts had to get by with Gardner Minshew II under center, and with a 9-8 record, they missed the playoffs.
While Richardson has participated in OTAs, he is still dealing with shoulder soreness.
Some fans may feel the team is lying about the severity of his injury, and when one fan tweeted his concern, insider Stephen Holder responded that Indianapolis doesn’t lie about player injuries more than other NFL teams.
The reality is the Colts do not have a history of lying about injuries (not any more than other teams).
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) June 6, 2024
Andrew Luck’s shoulder situation was always fluid and there was a very clear and documented setback. The prognosis turned out to be wrong as a result.
That’s it. https://t.co/EWLKhG0Ins
Richardson’s potential lies in being a dual-threat quarterback, and while he completed just 54.7 percent of his pass attempts in college, he ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior in 2022.
Unfortunately, dual-threat signal-callers are prone to injury because of the contact they have to endure, or at least that is the narrative.
The Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson, another quarterback who has been a major threat on the ground, played in just six games last year before he also suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
Over the last couple of years, a large number of QBs across the league, dual-threat or not, have sustained significant injuries that have forced them to miss a significant amount of time.
The Indianapolis Colts have Jonathan Taylor, an outstanding running back who has also struggled with injury issues over the last two seasons. But when he has been healthy, he has been a force to be reckoned with.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is a solid threat who was recently given a three-year, $70 million contract extension, and Josh Downs has shown promise as a legitimate WR2.
Ultimately, they will go as far as Richardson is capable of taking them. Joe Flacco, a 39-year-old veteran, is his main backup, so he will need to be healthy in time for training camp so he can develop quickly.
More must-reads:
- Former GM blasts Giants for not embracing 'best chance to win'
- Recent roster moves cement 2022 QB class as one of worst ever
- The 'Season TD pass leaders by NFL team' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Browns abandon four-QB approach by trading Kenny Pickett
The Cleveland Browns will not be keeping four quarterbacks on their roster heading into the 2025 regular season, after all. The Browns agreed to a deal on Monday to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports. Cleveland will receive a 2026 fifth-round draft pick in return. Pickett spent just five months in Cleveland, as the Browns acquired him in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles back in March. They gave up Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round draft pick in that deal. There had been reports throughout the summer that Pickett was not exactly lighting it up in Browns camp. Joe Flacco has been named Cleveland's Week 1 starter, so rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will now back the 40-year-old up. The Raiders needed a veteran quarterback after Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in the team's preseason finale over the weekend. O'Connell is expected to be sidelined for around two months. Pickett began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him 20th overall in 2022. The former University of Pittsburgh QB started 12 games as a rookie and did not play well, finishing with 2,404 yards, seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Pickett started another 12 games for the Steelers in 2023 before being benched and later traded to Philadelphia. In total, Pickett has completed 62.4 percent of his career passes for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Cowboys rookie CB to miss significant time after roster designation
The Dallas Cowboys have already been ravaged by injuries so far throughout training camp and the preseason slate. And now, thanks to injury, it appears that fans are going to have to wait to see one of the team's top draft picks in the 2025 season. According to reports from Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr., rookie cornerback Shavon Revel has been added to the Non-Football Injury List ahead of the team's Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. In corresponding moves, the Cowboys will place both defensive end Peyton Turner and receiver Jonathan Mingo on Injured Reserve Designated To Return. Running back Phil Mafah will also be moved to injured reserve. Revel was placed on the NFI list as a result of a torn ACL, which was suffered during practice in Week 4 of his final season in college with the East Carolina Pirates. Because that injury occurred in college, and away from Dallas Cowboys facilities or team activities, Revel was placed on the NFI list instead of the PUP list. By being placed on the NFI List, Revel, who was selected by Dallas with the 76th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, will miss at least the first six weeks of the season. Fortunately for the Cowboys, it appears that starting corner Trevon Diggs should be back sooner rather than later. In other words, the team will have both he and DaRon Bland - their top two corners - as well as Kaiir Elam for their season opener, allowing Revel plenty of time to continue his recovery. In his career at East Carolina, Revel played in 24 games, making 70 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and three interceptions, with 15 pass breakups. He also earned an 83.5 PFF coverage grade in his last full season in 2023, and an 85.4 coverage grade in 2024 in the three games in which he appeared. In other words, whenever he does return to the fold for Dallas, he should be able to come in and be an immediate contributor to the defense. —
Packers releasing former first-round pick
CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports the Packers are expected to release LB Isaiah Simmons. Simmons, 27, was a two-year starter at Clemson and won the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker in 2019. The Cardinals used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft on him. Simmons signed a four-year, $20,664,055 rookie contract that includes a $12,588,404 signing bonus. Arizona wound up trading him to the Giants in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. He was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent after the Cardinals declined his fifth-year option in May 2023, and he opted to remain in New York on a one-year deal. Simmons then signed with Green Bay this offseason. In 2024, Simmons appeared in all 17 games for the Giants and made one start. He recorded 21 tackles and one forced fumble.
Miami Dolphins' Mike McDaniel confirms suspicion regarding former Tennessee Vols standout Jaylen Wright as preseason comes to a conclusion
Current Miami Dolphins running back and former Tennessee Vols standout Jaylen Wright hasn't had the best month of August thus far. A pedestrian performance in the preseason compared to a strong one from Oklahoma State rookie Ollie Gordon II has some on social media calling for the latter to take over as the team's primary backup to starter De'Von Achane. Things took a turn for the worse this past week for Wright during joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wright hobbled off the field with an apparent leg injury and didn't return. It was also enough to keep him on the sideline of the Dolphins' 14-6 win over the Jaguars on Saturday night in the team's final preseason game. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked after the game about Wright's status, and he said Wright is "week to week". Wright's injury appeared to be more than just a very minor tweak or something a player can shake off and keep practicing, as Miami Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly noted that it "doesn't look good" when he was leaving the field on Thursday. A week-to-week prognosis could be an injured reserve situation to start the season, which we'll know soon enough, as the Dolphins have to cut their roster down to 53 players by Tuesday at 4:00 pm ET. If Wright heads to injured reserve, a decision will have to be made by then. It's an unfortunate update on a player who could have used some momentum at the end of the preseason heading to the start of the regular season. Now, it appears possible he might not even be in uniform for that.
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