Tag: Richardson

Colts open practice window for QB Anthony Richardson

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Indianapolis Colts are opening the 21-day practice window for quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has been out two months with an eye injury.

Coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Richardson still has some vision problems stemming from an orbital fracture he suffered during pregame warmups on Oct. 12.

“As I mentioned last week, Anthony returned for physical activity, but he still has some vision limitation in his eye,” Steichen said, per NFL Network. “So we’re gonna get him back on the practice field, get him throwing, doing some scout team reps. It’s just something that he’ll have to manage through the process.”

It is unclear whether Richardson, 23, will be activated to play during the final three games of the regular season for the Colts (8-6), who are staring at matchups against three teams currently occupying a playoff spot: the San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

The injury occurred when a pole that Richardson had wrapped an elastic stretch band around snapped and hit him in the face during a warmup stretch routine, according to multiple media reports.

This left Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, with severe swelling that led to temporary vision impairment.

Richardson has been on IR since suffering the freak injury, which required surgery. Following Daniel Jones’ season-ending torn Achilles, the Colts brought Philip Rivers, 44, out of retirement and have rookie Riley Leonard as his backup.

When the season started, Richardson was the backup to Jones, and the Colts moved to 7-1 with their 38-14 win over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 26. They are 1-5 since and have just a 12% chance of making the playoffs.

Richardson battled through injuries to start 15 games over his first two seasons with the Colts. He has 2,400 career passing yards with 11 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 634 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs over 17 games.

–Field Level Media

Shane Steichen: Colts plan to ride with QB Philip Rivers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Philip Rivers earned another start for the Indianapolis Colts with his performance Sunday at Seattle, his first NFL game in five seasons.

Head coach Shane Steichen said Monday Rivers is the planned QB this week as Anthony Richardson Sr. received medical clearance to return to some team activities.

Indianapolis dropped to 8-6 with an 18-16 loss to the Seahawks after leading the game with less than two minutes remaining. Rivers, in his first game since Jan. 9, 2021, completed a key pass to Alec Pierce after the two-minute warning to set up Blake Grupe’s 60-yard field goal for a 16-15 lead.

The Seahawks answered with a game-winning field goal, but that didn’t change the quarterback depth chart, Steichen said Monday.

“We didn’t bring him in here to sit on the bench, I’ll say that” Steichen said. “He’s excited for this challenge. We obviously got to take it one week at a time and then we go from there.”

The urgency of the Colts’ current situation is clear after the AFC South division-leading Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) and Houston Texans (9-5) both won.

Steichen said Monday he’s leaving the ball in the hands of Rivers with the Colts hosting the San Francisco 49ers (10-4) in Indianapolis on ‘Monday Night Football’ on Dec. 22.

“I think obviously him being off for that long, obviously there was some unknown. But for him to go out there and do what he did to put us in a position to win in a hostile environment after that long of a layoff was pretty impressive,” Steichen said. “Getting us into the right plays, managing the game, I thought he was phenomenal in that regard. On the sidelines, his leadership, all those things that he brings to our team will be beneficial for all of us.”

For his part, Rivers expressed confidence in his wideouts despite the limited time with his new teammates.

“Obviously I’ve been around (Michael Pittman Jr.), but not the other guys in person,” Rivers said. “So, like I said, those kind of plays — I had full trust in those. Those are-trust building … But we don’t have time – it’s not like we’re building this thing out. You’re looking at 21 days left, you know, whatever, to find a way to get in.”

The Colts might be working this week without left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who exited the game on the final drive with an elbow injury. Steichen said the team is in wait-and-see mode on Raimann leading up to the Week 16 game. Starting right tackle Braden Smith (concussion/neck) was placed on injured reserve last week.

Former first-round pick Richardson was medically cleared to begin ramping up from his eye injury. Richardson was placed on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone in October. Steichen said there is no discussion of Richardson being active or even practicing right now, because they first want him to get comfortable in the weight room and conduct other team activities.

–Field Level Media

All three Colts QBs hurt; Daniel Jones (Achilles) done for season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Daniel Jones is out for the season and the Indianapolis Colts are in crisis mode.

Jones ruptured his right Achilles on Sunday in Jacksonville, leaving the 36-19 loss in the first quarter as the Jaguars took sole possession of first place in the AFC South and the free-falling Colts (8-5) clung to fading playoff aspirations.

Backup Riley Leonard played the final three quarters on Sunday and suffered a right knee injury, head coach Shane Steichen said Monday. The Colts said there is no plan to activate Anthony Richardson, who has been on injured reserve following an accident during pregame warmups in Week 6 that left him with an orbital bone injury.

That might require the Colts to make a roster move. Brett Rypien is on the practice squad. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren is the team’s emergency quarterback.

“(GM) Chris (Ballard) and his staff are working through that right now,” Steichen said.

Leonard completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards with an interception and a rushing touchdown.

Jones has played only 29 total games in the past three seasons and ended multiple years on injured reserve with the New York Giants due to injuries (neck, ACL).

On Sunday, he crumbled to the ground with a non-contact injury as he delivered a pass on a third-down dropback. He slammed his helmet to the ground while being evaluated on the field and limped to the locker room under his own power, and the combination of disappointment and uncertainty was felt in the postgame locker room.

“That was definitely a gut punch,” Colts running back Jonathan Taylor said. “We’ve got to catch ourselves. You’ve got to find some way, somehow, to catch yourself. You’re going into a free-fall, whatever it takes, individually and collectively, to put your foot down … to say we’re not going to continue to let this snowball.”

The Colts dropped four of their past five games since starting the season 7-1 and have four games left against the Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars and Texans. Those teams own a combined record of 36-16.

Jones, 28, is in his first season with the Colts after playing 5 1/2 seasons with the Giants and part of last season with the Minnesota Vikings. He was the No. 6 overall pick by New York in the 2019 draft.

He joined the Colts in free agency on a one-year contract and is scheduled to be eligible for free agency again in March. But he will unlikely be ready to work out for teams until June or July.

Jones had passed for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions for Indianapolis. He was playing through a fractured left fibula.

–Field Level Media

Aug 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) looks to pass during the first quarter pressured by Baltimore Ravens nose tackle John Jenkins (62) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Report: X-rays clean for Colts QB Anthony Richardson

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson reportedly will return to practice “in the coming days” after X-rays on his dislocated pinkie came back clean.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz provided the positive update Friday for the injury-plagued passer, who sustained the injury to his right (throwing) hand in the first quarter of Thursday’s preseason opener at Baltimore.

Richardson, who got the start over offseason acquisition Daniel Jones, was under center for his second drive when he was sacked by David Ojabo for an 8-yard loss. Replays showed his little finger bent at an awkward angle.

After the game, he said he needed to have better awareness in such a situation.

“I definitely looked at it. That’s a tricky one because it’s five-man pro and hot from the backside,” Richardson said of the play on which he was injured. “I’ve just got to get my eyes to be able to react to that. It was just five-man pro playing hot. I need to be on my Ps and Qs when it comes to that.”

“It was going to be hard for me to see anyway,” Richardson added. “My eyes are looking a certain way, but I just have to be keyed on when anybody brings pressure like that. I thought it would be the nickel, but they brought it from the other side. I just have to be ready to get the ball out.”

Richardson completed 2 of 3 passes for 21 yards before exiting the Colts’ 24-16 loss to the Ravens. Jones was 10-for-21 passing for 144 yards and rookie Riley Leonard completed 12 of 24 passes for 92 yards and an interception.

Richardson, 23, is battling to keep his starting job after making 11 starts in 2024 and briefly being benched for Joe Flacco.

As a rookie in 2023, the No. 4 overall pick sustained an AC joint sprain in his fourth career start and underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. Last season, Richardson missed two games with an oblique injury and two more due to back spasms, and he was absent from mandatory minicamp this summer because of a shoulder injury.

–Field Level Media

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) spins the ball on his finger Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, during Indianapolis Colts Training Camp at Grand Park in Westfield.

QB Anthony Richardson to start Colts’ preseason opener vs. Ravens

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Anthony Richardson will start at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts when they visit the Baltimore Ravens in Thursday night’s preseason opener.

Richardson and veteran Daniel Jones are battling for the job and listed as co-No. 1s on the depth chart. Colts coach Shane Steichen is trying to make it an even competition.

For example, Richardson is slated to play 1 1/2 quarters against the Ravens with Jones finishing out the first half. But in the second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 16, Jones will start and play 1 1/2 quarters with Richardson finishing out the first half.

“In a perfect world, that’s how I want it to play out,” Steichen said Tuesday following a joint practice against the Ravens in Owing Mills, Md.

Steichen has said he has no problem waiting until the three-game preseason is over before making a decision.

Richardson, 23, is 8-7 as a starter for Indianapolis since being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023 out of Florida. He has endured multiple injuries that limited him to four games in 2023 and 11 last season.

Richardson has completed just 50.6 percent of his passes for 2,391 yards and 11 TDs with 13 interceptions. He has rushed for 635 yards and 10 scores.

Jones spent five-plus seasons with the New York Giants before finishing last year with the Minnesota Vikings. He signed a one-year, $14 million deal as a free agent with the Colts in the offseason.

Drafted No. 6 overall by New York in 2019 out of Duke, Jones compiled a 24-44-1 record as a starter for the Giants while passing for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions and rushing for 2,179 yards and 15 scores.

Indianapolis opens the regular season with a home game against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 7.

–Field Level Media

Indianapolis Colts players Daniel Jones (17) and Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) throw passes during the Colts training camp at Grand Park on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Westfield, Ind.

Colts’ first ‘unofficial’ depth chart brings no QB clarity

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The competition continues in Indianapolis, where the Colts listed “Daniel Jones OR Anthony Richardson” as the No. 1 quarterback on their first “unofficial depth chart” released on Monday.

Sixth-round draft pick Riley Leonard and 2024 undrafted rookie Jason Bean are listed behind Jones and Richardson heading into Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Head coach Shane Steichen said Sunday that Jones and Richardson will both play against the Ravens but declined yet to say which signal-caller would start.

“Yeah, both are going to play in this game. I haven’t had a chance to talk to them about who’s starting, but I’ll address that with them tonight,” Steichen said Sunday. “I want them to hear it from me first before they hear through the media. But yeah, we’ll work through that.”

Jones, 28, signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts in March after finishing out the 2024 season on the roster of the Minnesota Vikings.

Drafted No. 6 overall by New York in 2019, Jones compiled a 24-44-1 record as a starter for the Giants while passing for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions and rushing for 2,179 yards and 15 scores.

Richardson, 23, is 8-7 as a starter for Indianapolis since being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023. He has completed just 50.6 percent of his passes for 2,391 yards and 11 TDs with 13 interceptions. He has rushed for 635 yards and 10 scores.

–Field Level Media

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) walks up the field Tuesday, June 10, 2025, during NFL Colts mandatory mini camp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indianapolis.

Irsay-Gordon: Colts QB Anthony Richardson ‘still has time’

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There’s still time for 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson to prove he’s capable of being a QB1 in the NFL, Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon believes.

It’s not a new topic for Irsay-Gordon — far from it — but she’d like to bring “urgency” to all sides of the conversation around the No. 4 pick in the ’23 draft. That’s why Richardson will arrive to training camp in a competition with Daniel Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft with the Giants.

“Where he is in his career and in his deal as a rookie, we still have time,” Irsay-Gordon said in a wide-ranging interview with Colts.com.

“He still has time to prove it. … Bring a sense of urgency. And nothing brings a sense of urgency more than competition.”

Irsay-Gordon was actively involved in various front office roles with the Colts and transitioned to principal owner in the succession plan put in place by late owner and CEO Jim Irsay prior to his death earlier this year.

Jones was released by the Giants at his request last season and spent the remainder of the year with the Vikings, training not to start over Sam Darnold but for this season. He signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts and was promised a chance to compete with Richardson.

Injuries and availability have been hurdles for both players.

Richardson was limited again in the offseason by shoulder soreness, but general manager Chris Ballard said there are no restrictions for the quarterback entering this year’s training camp.

Accuracy was another challenge when Richardson, 23, was able to play last season. He had a league-low 47.7 completion percentage.

Jones, 28, played in 10 games last season with the Giants and only six in 2023. He has 73 career turnovers — 26 lost fumbles, 47 interceptions — and 85 touchdowns, which counts 15 rushing scores in New York.

–Field Level Media

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) passes to Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (1) on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The pass fell incomplete.

Report: Colts QB Anthony Richardson’s shoulder ready for camp

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s right shoulder is ready to go for training camp next week, ESPN reported on Thursday.

Richardson did not participate in a minicamp last month after the team said he was experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder.

He had season-ending surgery to repair his right AC joint in October 2023 and has been limited to 15 starts since the Colts drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023.

Richardson sought outside medical opinions from experts who agreed with the Colts’ cautionary approach to this offseason. He has been working with personal coaches in Florida and throwing with velocity, ESPN reported.

It’s possible that Richardson could be on a pitch count early in training camp to allow him time to get up to speed, per the report. Players are required to report by Tuesday.

Richardson, 23, faces competition from former New York Giants starter Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year deal for $14 million in March.

Richardson’s accuracy and durability will be in the spotlight entering Year 3. In 15 career starts, he has completed 176 of 348 pass attempts (50.6 percent) for 2,391 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The mobile QB has 635 rushing yards and 10 additional scores.

–Field Level Media

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones (13) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Colts GM: QB competition needs to play out

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson were drafted into different situations by different teams but landed on the same depth chart with the Indianapolis Colts because of indifferent results.

As the Colts approach the 2025 NFL Draft this week, general manager Chris Ballard believes one of the former top-10 picks is destined to pan out. He remains confident Richardson, who turns 23 in May, has time to turn his career around.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be bad before you can be good at playing this game. Sometimes you’ve got to struggle before you can be good, all right?” Ballard said. “We’ve got two guys that have had some really strong flashes and have had some bad moments, too — and that’s OK. I think both of them will be better because of this, and I think the team will be better because of it. You know, competition brings out the best in everybody, and I think we’ll see that.

“To sit here a day before we even start the offseason and have a vision of how … you don’t want to begin with an end in mind. We’re not going to do that. It’s like the draft. You don’t want to begin with an end in mind. You’ve got to let things play out the way they should and compete and who gives the team the best chance to win. Look, if I’m a betting man, at some point, both of them will help us.”

Ballard has been GM of the Colts since 2017. He drafted Richardson fourth overall in 2023 and signed Jones as an unrestricted free agent in March.

Richardson lost three fumbles, had 12 interceptions, eight touchdown passes and a 47.7 completion percentage in 2024. Jones had two fumbles, seven interceptions, eight touchdown passes and completed 63.3 percent of his passes with the Giants last season.

Jones was the sixth pick in 2019 with the Giants. His run with the franchise included a torn ACL and a playoff appearance before he was released last November.

The GM said a competition for the starting job will include four judges: him, head coach Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, owner Jim Irsay and come down to one obvious question: “Who gives us our best chance to win?”

–Field Level Media

Nov 10, 2024; Munich, Germany; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) throws the ball against the Carolina Panthers in the second half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Colts QBs Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones to split reps

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Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen confirmed plans for a quarterback competition between incumbent Anthony Richardson and new signing Daniel Jones.

Steichen said Monday the QBs will share first-team practice reps starting in the offseason.

“Who’s the most consistent, who’s the most productive will be the starter,” Steichen said at the NFL annual meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Colts signed Jones to a one-year, $14 million contract as the hand-selected competitor to Richardson. Jones spent six years with the New York Giants and finished last season with the Minnesota Vikings.

New York benched Jones in November and then waived him at his request before he joined the Vikings’ practice squad.

In Indianapolis, the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft will battle it out with the fourth overall selection of 2023, Richardson, who’s had two tumultuous years with the Colts.

Jones has thrown for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in 70 career games (69 starts). He’s also racked up 2,179 rushing yards and 15 scores on the ground.

“If you look at (Jones’) skillset, he can run the football with the zone read game, obviously can throw the football as well,” Steichen said. “Career completion percentage is 64 percent, which is pretty good, has had some production, won a playoff game, high football IQ — really high football IQ — which is really good.”

Richardson made 11 starts in 2024 and threw for 1,814 yards, eight TDs and 12 picks, adding 499 yards and six TDs rushing.

General manager Chris Ballard wouldn’t put a timeline on naming a starter and said he envisions a 50/50 split within a practice, rather than rotating who is the No. 1 quarterback in practice day by day.

“I think it’ll be pretty seamless,” Ballard said. “I think with any competition, you gotta spend the reps evenly and then everybody make a decision on who’s going to be the guy.”

–Field Level Media