Colts' Anthony Richardson: Team confirms move to bench
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Head coach Shane Steichen confirmed Wednesday that Joe Flacco will replace Richardson as the Colts' starting quarterback "going forward," JJ Stankevitz of the team's official site reports.
Though reports surfaced Tuesday indicating that the Colts were pivoting from Richardson to Flacco at quarterback, Steichen noted Wednesday that the move is not just a one-week change. While Steichen added the Colts are "not giving up on [Richardson] by any means," the 2023 first-round pick is now slated to back up Flacco for the foreseeable future. After his rookie season was cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery, Richardson had struggled to develop as a passer through the first half of his second NFL campaign, completing just 59 of 133 pass attempts (44.4 percent) for 958 yards (7.2 YPA), four touchdowns and seven interceptions through six games.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Benched in favor of Flacco
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The Colts have decided to bench Richardson and move forward with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback, beginning with Sunday's game against the Vikings, Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN report.
Head coach Shane Steichen hinted at a possible change under center Monday, when he was non-committal about Richardson's status for Week 9. A 2023 first-round pick, Richardson was always considered a developmental prospect due to his minimal amount of games started at the collegiate level, but with the Colts sitting at a 4-4 record and in contention for a playoff berth, Steichen and the coaching staff are clearly more confident in Flacco's ability to command the offense. Richardson hasn't completed more than 50 percent of his pass attempts in any of the five games he's finished this season, and his mistake-prone style of play has balanced out whatever positives that his elite athleticism adds to Indianapolis' offense. The door isn't necessarily closed on the Colts turning back to Richardson down the stretch, after he's given more time to watch Flacco from the sideline.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Starting role in flux for Week 9
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Colts head coach Shane Steichen was non-committal when asked Monday whether Richardson will start Sunday's game against the Vikings, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports. "We're evaluating everything," Steichen said.
Steichen clarified that Richardson remains Indianapolis' starting quarterback as of Monday, according to James Boyd of The Athletic, but the coaching staff is evaluating at least a temporary shift under center for Week 9. Richardson once again struggled with efficiency during the team's 23-20 loss to the Texans in Week 8, as he completed just 10 of 32 passes for 175 yards with one touchdown and an interception. The second-year signal-caller added 45 rushing yards on six carries, but he also fumbled twice, losing one. His development as a passer hasn't lived up to expectations through six appearances this season, while Joe Flacco performed admirably in his three-game stretch under center from Weeks 4 through 6. Heading into a difficult Week 9 road matchup, the Colts' quarterback position needs to be considered up in the air until further notice.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Highly inefficient in loss
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Richardson completed 10 of 32 passes for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception while rushing six times for 45 yards in the Colts' 23-20 loss to the Texans on Sunday. He also committed two fumbles, losing one.
Richardson came into the game having completed just 48.5 percent of his throws, and though he was even more inefficient Sunday, he nearly led the Colts to a win. A bulk of Richardson's yardage came on two big throws to Josh Downs, who recorded gains of 69 and 25 yards while scoring on the first one and just missing a touchdown on the second. Richardson also managed to spike the ball with one second remaining to give the Colts one final chance at a game-winning throw, but he took a sack and fumbled on the final play of the game. The second-year signal-caller has an unenviable matchup in Week 9, as the Colts will travel to face the Vikings in a Sunday night interconference clash.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: QBs to Sit
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Richardson scored 30.1 Fantasy points in Week 1 against Houston. Since then he's combined for 34.6 Fantasy points in three healthy games. He's looking like a bust heading into a Week 8 rematch with the Texans, and he's only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. I hope I'm wrong about Richardson, and he can turn his season around. But we need to see it first, and scoring fewer than 12 Fantasy points a week isn't going to inspire much confidence from Fantasy managers.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Ekes out win in return
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Richardson completed 10 of 24 passes for 129 yards in Sunday's 16-10 win over the Dolphins. He added 56 rushing yards on 14 carries.
The second-year quarterback had another poor statistical performance in his first game action since suffering an oblique strain in Week 4, but there were some glimmers of hope. Richardson looked more comfortable throwing the ball in the second half as he led Indianapolis to 13 straight points, and coach Steve Steichen was more willing to call designed runs for the mobile QB -- his 14 carries were a season high. and his 56 yards led the team while tying his season high. Most importantly, Richardson came out of the game healthy, setting him up for a clash with the Texans in Week 8.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Confirmed Week 7 starter
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Coach Shane Steichen confirmed Friday that Richardson (oblique) will start Sunday's game against the Dolphins, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
Richardson put forth a full week of practice, paving the way for his return after Joe Flacco filled in admirably during the second-year quarterback's two-week absence. The Dolphins have allowed only three passing touchdowns in five games, so Richardson could find it tough to improve on his 3:6 TD:INT, but his elite rushing ability gives Richardson significant fantasy upside.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: On track for full practice
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Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that Richardson (oblique) is in line to practice fully Wednesday, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.
Assuming Richardson does indeed log a full session Wednesday, he'll be one step closer to returning to action Sunday against the Dolphins. Steichen said Monday that he anticipates that Richardson -- who has missed the Colts' past two games -- will return to the starting role this weekend. In Richardson's absence, veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco helmed the offense, leading the Colts to a narrow loss to the Jaguars and a win over the Titans.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Will start Week 7, barring setback
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Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Richardson (oblique) will start Sunday's game against the Dolphins, barring a setback, George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin reports.
Richardson was close to playing in this past Sunday's win over the Titans but ultimately sat out while Joe Flacco received a second consecutive start. Flacco has posted a 7:1 TD:INT in less than three full games while filling in for Richardson, but there's no quarterback controversy in Indianapolis, and the starting job will be Richardson's once he's healthy enough to take it. If Richardson is able to practice without limitations during the week, he could avoid carrying an injury designation into the game against Miami.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Inactive as No. 3 quarterback
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Richardson (oblique) is inactive as the Colts' emergency third quarterback for Sunday's game at Tennessee.
Richardson will miss a second straight game due to the oblique injury, but the Colts seem to be holding him out due to an abundance of caution. Per Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports, head coach Shane Steichen said Richardson was "very close" to playing, but the Colts want the young signal-caller to get in some more practice reps before clearing him to play. Richardson should have a good chance at starting in next Sunday's game against the Dolphins if he can steer clear of any setbacks during the upcoming week of practice, but veteran Joe Flacco will receive a second straight start this weekend.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Inactive, won't start Week 6
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Richardson (oblique) will be inactive for Sunday's game against the Titans as the emergency No. 3 quarterback while Joe Flacco receives a second straight start, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Richardson sat out the Colts' Week 5 loss to the Jaguars with the oblique injury, but reports leading up to Sunday's contest suggested that the second-year quarterback -- who had been listed as questionable -- was on track to start Week 6 after turning in a pair of limited practices as well as a full session this week. However, with Richardson not yet 100 percent healthy, the Colts will err on the side of caution and hold him out for a second straight week while Flacco starts and Sam Ehlinger serves as his top backup. A source told Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports that Richardson would be available to play if the Colts were playing a playoff game, a sign that the 22-year-old will likely be back in the lineup next Sunday against the Dolphins if he avoids any setbacks during the upcoming week.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Game-time decision this week
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Per coach Shane Steichen, Richardson (oblique) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans and is considered a game-time decision for the contest, JJ Stankevitz of the Colts' official site reports.
Richardson practiced in full Thursday, but he's still slated to carry a Week 6 injury designation. His status thus is worth monitoring ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, with added context on that front likely to arrive late Saturday or early Sunday via NFL national reporters like ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. If the Colts elect to exercise caution with Richardson this weekend, veteran Joe Flacco would be next in line for the team's start at QB versus Tennessee.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Looking good at practice
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Richardson (oblique) looked "pretty spry" during Thursday's practice, according to Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis.
James Boyd of The Athletic agrees, even saying he'd be surprised if Richardson didn't play this Sunday against the Titans. Richardson may ultimately be listed as a limited practice participant again, but he's clearly making progress and should at least be back for Week 7 if he doesn't quite get the green light this weekend.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Out Week 5, injury not long term
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Richardson is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, but his oblique strain isn't considered a long-term concern, and the Colts are hopeful that he can return for the team's Week 6 game against the Titans, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports.
Joe Flacco will get the start Week 5 after he came on in relief of Richardson in last Sunday's win over the Steelers when the latter went down with his oblique strain. Richardson was a limited participant in practice throughout Week 5, so if he's able to resume practicing in full at some point next week, he should be cleared to reclaim the starting role next Sunday at Tennessee.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Stays limited in practice
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Richardson (oblique) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
According to Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star, Richardson didn't appear to perform extensive work during the portion of practice that was open to the media, with the quarterback throwing a small number of low-effort passes. Notably, Atkins adds that Joe Flacco was first in line for reps under center, perhaps suggesting that the veteran is trending toward starting Sunday's game in Jacksonville at this stage of the week while Richardson manages an oblique strain. Richardson has now turned in a pair of limited practices to begin Week 5 prep, and while he hasn't been ruled out from starting Sunday, the Colts may want to see him ratchet up the intensity of his activity in Friday's practice before potentially clearing him to play.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Struggles in tough road environment
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Richardson completed 17 of 34 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions and added four carries for 37 yards in the Colts' 16-10 loss to the Packers on Sunday. He also committed two fumbles that he recovered.
Richardson's growing pains were on display Sunday against a Packers defense that seemed intent on carrying more of the load than usual with Jordan Love (knee) sidelined. Two of Richardson's interceptions came in deep in Packers territory, while the third was on a Hail Mary to end the game. Richardson once again displayed the most chemistry with Alec Pierce, who finished with a 5-56-1 line on a team-high seven targets, but otherwise, he failed to establish any meaningful rapport with No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman (3-21 on seven targets). Richardson has failed to complete 50 percent of his passes through his first two games, so he'll aim for more efficiency in a tough home matchup against Caleb Williams and the Bears in a Week 3 battle.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Mixed bag in preseason finale
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Richardson completed eight of 14 passes for 86 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Thursday's 27-14 preseason win over the Bengals. He also rushed once for three yards.
Richardson played into the second quarter while Cincinnati rested its starters on both offense and defense. Seven of his completions came on the opening drive, which Richardson capped with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell. The good vibes from the first possession were quickly erased by a pick-six on the next possession, then two consecutive three-and-outs. On his fifth and final drive, Richardson had the ball knocked out on a rollout, derailing the possession with an eight-yard loss despite not losing the fumble. His subpar performance against backups Thursday suggests Richardson is still going through some growing pains heading into his second NFL regular season, but his unparalleled mix of size, speed and arm strength gives him an extremely high ceiling. The Colts kick off regular-season play Sunday, Sept. 8 at home against the Texans.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Not likely to face Arizona
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Colts general manager Chris Ballard suggested Wednesday that Richardson is unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Cardinals, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.
The Colts are trending toward using the same blueprint as in 2023 with Richardson, which would set the stage for the quarterback to play about a half in the team's preseason finale against the Bengals on Aug. 22. Richardson logged seven snaps during this past Sunday's exhibition opener versus the Broncos.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Gets two drives in preseason opener
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Richardson completed two of four passes for 25 yards and rushed once for one yard in Sunday's 34-30 preseason loss to the Broncos.
Richardson played the first two drives, which didn't result in any points for the Colts. While his performance in this preseason opener was nothing to write home about, it's nonetheless encouraging to see the 2023 fourth overall pick taking part in game action again after a shoulder injury ended his rookie season in Week 5. Richardson will look to shake off the rust in the Colts' next preseason game, Saturday against the Cardinals.
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Colts' Anthony Richardson: Scheduled to play Sunday
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Coach Shane Steichen said Friday that Richardson and most other starters will play "a series or two" in Sunday's preseason game against the Broncos, Larra Overton of Colts.com reports.
Steichen said one or two healthy starters may be held out, but he clarified that his starting quarterback wouldn't be one of them. Richardson thus figures to get some playing time, though perhaps not enough to make him a good option for preseason DFS contests.
