Colts 2nd-year quarterback could be poised for a big, breakout season—paired with head coach Shane Steichen.
According to NFL.com’s Adam Rank in his “State of the Indianapolis Colts,” he anticipates “major growth” from the team’s 2nd-year starting quarterback Anthony Richardson:
“Anthony Richardson scored seven total touchdowns (three passing, four rushing) in his first three NFL games. Just two players in the last 30 years recorded more TDs in their first three professional outings: Patrick Mahomes (10) and Marcus Mariota (eight). Unfortunately, Richardson only finished one of those games, and in his fourth contest, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury early in the second quarter. The 6-foot-4, 244-pounder simply has to do a better job of protecting himself. And he has to make strides as a passer. AR had the third-lowest career college completion percentage (54.7) of any quarterback selected in the first round since 2000 (behind only Kyle Boller and Jake Locker). In his limited action as a rookie, Richardson completed 59.9 percent of his throws, ranking 46th out of 50 quarterbacks with at least 75 pass attempts. With Shane Steichen at the controls, though, I won’t be surprised if the second-year pro shows major growth and stuffs the stat sheet (more on that in a sec).”
Even if his rookie campaign was cut entirely too short because of a season-ending shoulder injury, it’s not as though Richardson had a full “redshirt season” either. He was able to have 4 starts and had a tantalizing beginning to his pro career—scoring 7 touchdowns through both the air and ground, before being ultimately shut down for surgery.
While his experience was limited, there was a lot to like there—if he can stay full healthy.
No, Richardson’s accuracy will never be mistaken for Drew Brees, but unlike the future Hall of Fame pure pocket passer, the dynamic dual-threat quarterback is also a threat to take off and run the ball 70 yards to the ‘house’ at any time. (Not to mention, his rocket launcher for a throwing arm).
Richardson doesn’t need to be an elite marksman in that regard, just around league average because the rest of his physical tools at starting quarterback may eventually make him elite.
Where Richardson should be definitely aided in his future growth and development is by being paired with 2nd-year head coach Shane Steichen, who’s shown a unique ability to tailor his offense to maximize his starting quarterback’s best skill-sets. Look at Philip Rivers, Jalen Hurts, Anthony Richardson, and most recently, Gardner Minshew—who filled in relief of Richardson for 13 starts last season.
Rank goes as far as to ‘rank’ Richardson as a Top 3 starting fantasy quarterback next season—similarly to ESPN’s Field Yates recently:
Anthony Richardson is going to be a top-three fantasy quarterback this season.
“We’re obviously dealing with a small sample size from last year, but I’m sold. I’ve seen enough. Richardson’s way too dynamic a player to pass on, especially in leagues where you get just four points for passing touchdowns. The biggest drawback, to me, actually isn’t the injury concern. Every quarterback has injury concerns. Aaron Rodgers took four snaps last year, while Joe Burrow suffered multiple ailments before hitting injured reserve in November. Neither of them are “running quarterbacks.” Instead, the biggest fantasy pitfall might be RB Jonathan Taylor, who scored at least one rushing touchdown in each of his last five games of 2023. But given Shane Steichen’s proven ability to develop quarterbacks (SEE: the coach’s work with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia), I’m in.”
Colts fans hope those fantasy results also translate to ‘real life’ winning football for the Horseshoe this upcoming season, because a lot rests on Richardson’s shoulders—including his recently repaired right throwing one.
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