It’s safe to say the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback situation hasn’t gone according to plan this season.
Had second-year passer Anthony Richardson played better and been more prepared through the first eight weeks of the campaign, head coach Shane Steichen would not have made the switch to veteran Joe Flacco. Had Flacco played better over the past two games, Richardson would not be starting Sunday's game against New York Jets.
The end result of this QB roller coaster: Richardson got a wake-up call that sources said he badly needed, and the team believes he’ll benefit in the short- and long-term from it.
Under that backdrop, last year’s No. 4 overall pick starts today after Steichen re-installed him as the starter for the remainder the season just two games after Steichen named Flacco as the starter for what was expected to be the remainder of 2024.
In announcing the move back to Richardson this past week, Steichen pointed out the “growth he’s made” during two weeks on the bench.
“Is he a finished product? No,” Steichen told reporters. “But we’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to be our franchise quarterback.”
It became clear that Richardson would be the Colts' starter as a rookie last July when team owner Jim Irsay said on The Pat McAfee Show, “We have to get Anthony on the field.”
Irsay said he would allow Steichen to make the call on when that happens, and Richardson was named the Week 1 starter in August.
This time, sources say, Irsay was not involved at all in the decision to go back to Richardson. He was consulted, but Steichen informed him of the decision and Irsay did not attempt to sway him in either direction.
While the original plan was for Flacco to start the rest of the year, the Colts never planned to give up on Richardson. That is why each team that called about potentially trading for him was shot down quickly, according to league and team sources.
The Colts believed Flacco would play well and they would challenge for a playoff spot, and Richardson would learn behind the scenes. Instead, Indy went 0-2 to drop to 4-6 on the season as Flacco turned the ball over too much, and it was back to Richardson.
That said, in the words of one source, the benching of Richardson was an act that “needed to be done” for Richardson’s long-term development.
Steichen explained this week the points of emphasis made to Richardson.
“What I mean by that is the attention to detail in everything he does, from the classrooms, to the walk-throughs, to practice, to the weight room, all those little things have just got to be at a higher standard,” Steichen said. “That’s what was talked about, and that’s where we went with it. That was discussed with him two weeks ago, and those were the conversations that took place, and in the last two weeks, he’s made strides.”
Richardson is just 22 years old and is in his second year in the NFL. He started 12 games during his career at the University of Florida and has started 10 for the Colts after a shoulder injury prematurely ended his rookie season.
The Colts knew there would be up-and-down moments in Richardson's development, and for sure there have been. They are willing to ride with that, sources say, provided the process and preparation are right.
The team’s brass and coaching staff believe they have Richardson’s attention when it comes to preparing off the field and in meetings. Essentially, Richardson needed to embrace how intense it had to be.
And sources underscored what Steichen said publicly about Richardson: The change in preparation during his two weeks away was noticeable.
Today, the Colts hope it begins to translate onto the field.