The Colts' Anthony Richardson Experiment is Over

To fully grasp what all went wrong with the Anthony Richardson experiment, we must first look back at the totality of Richardson's career in Indy.

The Top-Five Pick

When the Colts drafted Richardson in 2023, everyone knew it would take time for the kid out of Florida to become a finished product. Richardson only started 13 games in his college career, tallying a measly 393 pass attempts. The Colts were drafting Richardson based on his immense potential as an incredibly athletic, dual-threat quarterback, not for what he would provide out of the gate.

However, in order to develop, Richardson needed reps, and lots of them. It is why the Colts named Richardson the starter halfway through his rookie training camp. He would take his lumps along the way, but they felt the best experience was through live game action.

It only took four games for Richardson to suffer a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, requiring surgery and ending his rookie campaign. He would miss 13 games' worth of valuable reps, effectively making Richardson's rookie campaign a wash.

Richardson spent the entire 2024 offseason rehabbing his shoulder, working to be fully healthy when the Colts began training camp that summer. Richardson was healthy, but his offseason focus was on his shoulder, not improving his mechanics or the mental side of the game. As a result, the on-field product regressed.

Richardson's completion percentage fell from 59.5% as a rookie to an abysmal 47.7%. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns. It was feast or famine, as Richardson failed to find any consistency.

On top of that, Richardson experienced another injury (strained oblique) that forced him to miss two games and more reps that he desperately needed.

The Benching, and Return

To make matters worse, Richardson tapped out of a game against the Houston Texans because he was tired. Factor in that the Colts did not feel Richardson’s preparation was at the level required of a starting quarterback, and Steichen felt a change was needed. He benched Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco prior to Week 9.

It only took 10 starts into Richardson's career for the Colts to change their minds about giving as many reps as possible to their then 22-year-old quarterback.

The Colts felt like Richardson "was drowning." The game was moving too fast for him, and he needed to understand the level of preparation it took to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. The team wanted Richardson to sit out the rest of the season to reset and reevaluate himself.

But after two poor showings by Flacco, the Colts saw their playoff hopes slipping away. Steichen reinserted Richardson back into the starting lineup to give the offense a spark, stating he believed Richardson now understood what it took to be a starting quarterback.

After the benching, Richardson looked much more poised at the position, and his play reflected it. He led the Colts to two comeback wins over the New York Jets and New England Patriots. But rough outings against the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos showed he still had a long way to go.

The final nail in the coffin of the 2024 season came when Richardson began experiencing severe back spasms ahead of Week 17. Richardson missed the final two games of the season, and the Colts missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

The Colts made it clear to Richardson after the season that they needed to see more from him. They needed to see improved mechanics and more detailed preparation from the starting quarterback. They needed him to master the offense and be consistent at the line of scrimmage. And most of all, they needed him to stay healthy.

The Competition

As the Colts brought in Jones as competition, Richardson went to work throughout the offseason. When he showed up to camp, his mechanics looked more refined, and the improvements in his short-to-intermediate accuracy were noticeable. The Colts were also happy with the level of preparation he was putting in.

However, Richardson was still making mistakes with his reads. The most obvious mistake occured in the Colts' first preseason matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, when Richardson misread the direction of a blitz and was sacked. Most quarterbacks heading into Year 3 would have no problem deciphering where the blitz was coming from and realizing they are hot on the play.

More injuries also reared their ugly head. Richardson was shut down after two OTA practices due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. He dislocated his pinkie on the sack against the Ravens. While neither injury was serious, it raised questions yet again about his availability.

So, while Richardson has shown improvements throughout the offseason, the Colts believe Richardson still has more work to do on all fronts before they can trust him to lead the offense again.

However, after Tuesday's decision, there is no guarantee Richardson will ever lead the Colts' offense again. The organization has now twice benched their former top-five draft pick in favor of another option at quarterback. Options that were discarded by their former teams because they felt those players could no longer play at a high level.

That does not exactly scream "we have faith" from the Colts on Richardson. Instead, it sends the message "we don't think this will work out."

So, who's to blame for the Anthony Richardson experiment becoming such a failure in Indy? In reality, all parties involved hold at least partial blame.

How Richardson Was Developed

Let's start with the Colts. While preaching patience with Richardson, all of their actions proved to be the exact opposite.

The Colts had two choices on how to handle Richardson as a rookie. Knowing how young and raw Richardson was as a prospect coming out, they could have sat him for a year or two, allowing him to develop slowly and learn what it means to be a professional. This route was used by the Green Bay Packers when they drafted their current franchise quarterback, Jordan Love.

The other option was to throw Richardson into the fire, giving him as many reps as possible while understanding there would be tough moments along the way. This is the option the Colts originally chose, only to bench Richardson after 10 starts and reinsert him into the lineup two weeks later.

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky made some interesting points about the need for Richardson to continue to receive reps for his development to continue. Quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos have over 4,000 and 5,000 reps, respectively, since the beginning of their college careers. Richardson only has around 1,700 reps, including 793 in the NFL.

With Jones named the starter, the only reps Richardson will receive are in practice on the scout team. Those reps, and the mental reps he will receive, will not be nearly enough. Practice reps with the first-team offense and live reps in games are much more valuable than any Richardson will have by sitting.

Steichen also mentioned that this decision wasn't just for the beginning of the season, but for the entire season. There would not be a short lease on Jones, implying that Richardson will not replace Jones unless the latter suffers an injury. While Jones has also had injury issues in his career – he has only played a full season once in his career – injuries cannot be counted on.

If Jones remains the starter all season, Richardson will enter Year 4 with only 15 games' worth of reps in the NFL. As Orlovsky said, it "shuts the door" on any chance Richardson develops into anything more than a bust in Indy.

The Colts also did not do a good job of showing Richardson what it means to be a professional quarterback. Not only did Richardson come into the league as a raw prospect on the field, but off of it as well. He had not yet formed the preparation habits necessary in college to be a successful NFL quarterback.

While Richardson was participating in meetings and studying the offense, it was not up to the standard of a starting NFL quarterback. By all accounts, the coaching staff did very little to assist Richardson in this area. It was not until third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger began working with Richardson after his benching last season that those habits began to form.

The lack of assistance provided to Richardson on how an NFL quarterback is to prepare set him back just as much as not receiving all the reps over the last two seasons. The result has been a quarterback going into Year 3 and still trying to figure it all out.

Richardson Could've Helped Himself

However, Richardson is not blameless in how this experiment has turned out. There were multiple things that Richardson could have done to help himself succeed.

Richardson's preparation should have been better from the jump. All quarterbacks know that dedicating time to extra film study and prep to master every element of the offense is imperative. It is part of the reason players like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were so successful. Their preparation helped them know what was going to happen on every play before the snap of the ball.

It is unclear whether Richardson ever reached out to other quarterbacks to get their perspective on how to build those work habits and prepare off the field. What is clear is that Richardson was not doing nearly enough. The only one who can be blamed for the lack of preparation is himself.

Injuries were also a huge hindrance to the situation with Richardson. He has missed 17 of a possible 34 games due to injury. While Richardson cannot necessarily be blamed for the injuries, his inability to stay healthy has only amplified the consistency and availability concerns held by Steichen and the rest of the Colts organization.

Steichen's Decision

Steichen's decision to name Jones the starter over Richardson can be rationalized from a few different angles. It is obvious that Steichen feels his job is on the line, and the Colts' head coach believes Jones is the safer option of the two. The "higher floor" that Jones provides the offense outweighs the playmaking ability Richardson brings to the table.

Steichen also believes that his offensive system, combined with the playmakers the Colts have, is good enough to be successful with solid quarterback play. He trusts that a consistent game manager at the position will put the Colts in the playoff hunt, similar to Gardner Minshew in 2023. Whether Jones can provide that stability based on his previous history is certainly up for debate.

What isn't up for debate is that Steichen and the Colts do not trust Richardson to lead their offense, nor do they believe he gives them the best chance to win on Sundays. And, with Richardson entering Year 3, that is a major failure for the entire organization.

The Colts will continue to say publicly that they still believe in Richardson moving forward, that he can reach his full potential in Indianapolis. Richardson may even start a few games this season if Jones ends up missing time.

However, their actions show something totally different. The Anthony Richardson experiment has failed for the Colts, and the organization is once again searching for the long-term answer at the most important position in sports.

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