There are few things more important to the Colts' championship aspirations than the health of Anthony Richardson.
That's why, after he missed all but four games of his rookie season due to surgery on his throwing shoulder, some wonder if Indianapolis would be better served limiting how often the young quarterback scrambles.
Don't count head coach Shane Steichen among them.
"People ask this, too, a lot," Steichen said at a Thursday news conference. "It's just like 'Hey, are you gonna limit the run game?' And I kind of think, like, shoot, are you gonna limit Steph Curry from shooting three-pointers? Well, that's one of Anthony's strengths. So, we're not gonna get away from that. That's what he does well."
It was evident even in the small sample size Richardson provided in 2023 that he can boost the Colts offense to a scarier level with his legs.
He ran the ball 25 times, gaining a first down on roughly a third of those attempts on the way to 136 yards and four scores on the ground. Richardson supplemented that with 577 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air, but it's his total package that proves so dangerous.
Taking away half his game would fundamentally change the player the Colts drafted at No. 4 overall a year ago.
Steichen's analogy, however, skirts past that fact that Curry shooting from deep does not in any way increase his injury risk. Richardson taking off can, as evidenced by him leaving three of his four starts early last season.
Still, the 22-year-old is squarely on the same page as his coach.
"My legs [have] always been one of my superpowers," Richardson said. "So, trying to take that away from me, I don't think that's a good thing for this offense. It's just more so me playing a little bit smarter, and learning how to take care of myself and my teammates. Knowing when to make the right play and knowing when to try to get the extra few yards. Don't take my legs away, but being more smart."
As Richardson progresses through his second camp as a pro -- importantly with zero limitations from his surgery -- he and Steichen can discover the right balance between finding extra yards and limiting risk.
Another important aspect of camp will be putting Richardson and star running back Jonathan Taylor together. The two took the field at the same time in just one game in 2023, Taylor's first off the physically unable to perform list and a contest in which Richardson departed during the second quarter.
"I don't know how many plays we got last year together -- I think like one or two," Richardson said. "But hopefully we'll have way more than that this year, and I can rely on him a little bit more than just relying on myself."
Taylor's presence this year should help reduce the need for Richardson to create as much on his own.
If both stay healthy throughout 2024, that should also help the Colts improve on a season that ended a Week 18 victory shy of an AFC South title.
