NFL Insider drops major Anthony Richardson concern for Colts as QB prepares for rookie season - "That's a lot to ask"
The Indianapolis Colts have high hopes for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. While he has the physical attributes and talent to succeed in the NFL, The Athletic’s James Boyd puts things into perspective.
The online publication went through each NFL team’s biggest concern this summer.
Boyd said about the Colts:
“Anthony Richardson is the Colts’ sun. Everything revolves around him, and his development is undoubtedly the team’s biggest concern this summer.
The 21-year-old hasn’t started back-to-back seasons at quarterback since he was in high school, and he’ll need to take a huge step forward in the coming months to buck that trend.”
The Colts made Richardson the third quarterback selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. It was widely thought that Will Levis would be the next play-caller selected after Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. However, Indianapolis went for Richardson’s upside instead of the more-polished Levis.
How Anthony Richardson can become the Colts’ franchise quarterback
Meanwhile, Boyd tempered expectations on Richardson by adding:
“Richardson often had the best throw of the day during rookie minicamp, OTAs, and veteran minicamp, but he rarely had the best day overall.”
Indianapolis will likely be cautious about Anthony Richardson’s progression. Hence, Gardner Minshew is still the projected starter for Week 1 of the 2023 season.
While he was Jalen Hurts’ backup with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, he started 20 games in two seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Minshew had respectable numbers during his rookie season, finishing with 3,271 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Conversely, Boyd ended his argument on how Richardson can overtake Mindshew in the depth chart:
“The rookie must become more knowledgeable of the playbook and sharpen his throwing mechanics if Indy plans on handing him the keys in its season opener. That’s a lot to ask of someone who started just 13 college games, though it comes with the territory of being the No. 4 pick.”
Richardson is a mobile quarterback, like Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields. He had 1,116 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns across his three years in Florida.
His measurables during the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine were the best among quarterbacks. Even legendary quarterback Tom Brady was impressed with Richardson’s upside.
But his accuracy has much room for improvement. He completed only 54.7 percent of his passes in three seasons at Florida. Richardson had a 53.8 completion rate in his final year with the Gators.
In the long run, the Colts hope that Anthony Richardson will be worth the four-year, $34 million rookie contract he signed.