Anthony Richardson‘s time in Indianapolis appeared to be over when he lost the starting quarterback battle to Daniel Jones last year. Missing virtually the entire season due to a freak injury furthered that belief, and receiving permission from the Colts to seek a trade seemed to cement it.
However, Richardson has drawn little interest on the trade market, and the Colts are not inclined to release him outright. General manager Chris Ballard said at league meetings this week (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder) that there is “definitely a scenario” in which the 23-year-old remains in Indianapolis.
The Colts may need a stopgap starter as Jones works his way back from last year’s Achilles tear. Their other options, at present, are both second-year players: sixth-rounder Riley Leonard and UDFA Seth Henigan.
Henigan signed with the Colts practice squad at the tail end of last season and extended his stay with a reserve/futures deal. It is hard to consider him a legitimate candidate to start if Jones is not ready for Week 1. Leonard had only two meaningful appearances as a rookie – first as relief for Jones in Week 14, then as the starter in Week 18 with Indianapolis eliminated from the postseason.
Despite his struggles thus far, Richardson might be the best option of that trio. If the Colts are not able to get a solid trade return for the former No. 4 pick, he can serve as an insurance policy for Jones as his recovery progresses.
At this point, you know he’s never going to work in Indy. He’s better off asking for a trade and sitting behind a solid vet and just learning the offensive and being ready when needed.
Slot him in behind Dak in Dallas. Atleast he offers a running game if needed and could learn a thing or two. If he does play he’d have the protection and weapons to do something.
Of course Richardson can remain in Indianapolis…the fast food restaurants are always looking to hire a good burger flipper 🙂
Why do teams keep going down the same road with these guys who never played much in college? Overdraft. Bust. Set the roster back at the position 3 years. This is on management, not the player. No way a guy like Richardson should ever be drafted before mid second round. Not only are you hurting your organization, you ultimately hurt the players proper development. Teams have to stop reaching for QBs. Whose gonna be the desperate GM that takes Ty Simpson wat too early next month? You know someone will. Because the QB position is ‘so important ‘. Well if it was, you’d have a better plan at the position than reaching and hoping. Hopefully Simpson falls to the 2nd round where a team like the Rams or Steelers can grab him and stash him and give him time as opposed to the Jets, Browns or Cardinals taking him and throwing him to the wolves.
Even the QB prospects with a good amount of college experience are going to struggle if they get drafted by a team that can’t offer them any real support such as good coaching, an OL, something resembling a run game and a capable WR or two. Putting the foundation in place first is the proper approach but GMs usually go for the quick fix (especially if their job security is not solid).