Will Colts be more cautious with Anthony Richardson after latest injury?

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen and team owner Jim Irsay raised eyebrows when they suggested during the summer the club wouldn't limit how often second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson tries to make plays with his legs after Richardson dealt with multiple injuries that limited him to just four starts as a rookie. 

That was before Richardson went down with what's been reported as oblique and abdominal strains in Week 4's 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers that improved the Colts to 2-2 on the season. 

Steichen spoke with reporters on Monday and addressed whether he will now be more cautious regarding how Richardson is used during games whenever the 22-year-old is cleared to play. 

"There is a balance there in running a quarterback, but it does add the element to our offense that he can make big-time plays with his feet. We don’t want to lose that," Steichen said, per James Boyd of The Athletic.

According to StatMuse, Richardson ended Week 4 ranked sixth in the NFL among quarterbacks with 141 rushing yards on the season. While that shows what type of weapon the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft can be as a dual-threat quarterback, Boyd shared via X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) that the injury setbacks Richardson has endured since September 2023 are all linked with runs. 

Specifically, Richardson missed the bulk of his rookie campaign after he required surgery on his shoulder. 

"We’ve gotta go into games obviously being smart, and when the opportunity’s there, obviously, he knows he can run," Steichen added about Richardson. "And…even if it’s a dropback pass and he scrambles, he’s going to take off and run, too. We keep working through those things as we go through this." 

Some understandably would think that a quarterback listed at 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds could better absorb the type of punishment that would sideline other signal-callers. There's currently little proof that's true with Richardson, and he probably would benefit from taking some sliding lessons once he's able to resume practicing. 

As for the Colts' short-term future, veteran Joe Flacco completed 16-of-26 passes for 168 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the win over Pittsburgh and would start this Sunday's game at the 0-4 Jacksonville Jaguars if Richardson is unable to go. DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Colts as 2.5-point underdogs for that contest on Tuesday.