Through 10 career starts, Anthony Richardson has shown that he’s a glorified exercise in frustration. The quarterback has completed barely over 50 percent of his passes while turning the ball over (a 5.3 interception percentage) at a staggering rate. We’re talking about a quarterback dwelling in 32nd in expected points added (EPA) and completion percentage over expected (CPOE) by nearly half a percentage point. For all intents and purposes, even given the small sample size, Richardson has played like one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks this century. Full stop.
But this was likely always going to be the case for a player many deemed painfully unpolished coming out of Florida. Contrasted to someone like the Carolina Panthers’ more seasoned Bryce Young, Richardson needed reps, in earnest, to work all the kinks out of his game.
Unfortunately, the Colts and head coach Shane Steichen won’t give the former No. 4 overall pick the opportunity. On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Colts were benching Richardson for veteran Joe Flacco.
It’s a devastating shot across the bow of Richardson’s career but one that probably had to be made nonetheless:
QB change: The #Colts are planning to start Joe Flacco this Sunday night against the #Vikings, sources say. A major move, as the former first-rounder Anthony Richardson heads to the bench. pic.twitter.com/p6jQuGh3iu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 29, 2024
It’s a bit trite to say, but Richardson really did have a developmental curve similar to that of Buffalo Bills superstar Josh Allen coming out of college. Both players were toolsy physical titans seemingly constructed in a lab to play football. Both had cannon arms and impeccable athleticism on the move. Both needed significant work as accurate short and intermediate passers — I’m talking multiple years — to be viable starters in the NFL.
The difference is that the Bills gave Allen time because they saw meaningful progress year over year before he finally exploded in 2020. By comparison, Richardson was backed into a corner to start 2024 after losing his rookie year to a shoulder injury. He was almost forced into having a leap year come out of nowhere despite throwing less than 100 passes at the professional level (and less than 400 total in college). Instead, he struggled.
It doesn’t matter how naturally talented you are: experience is always the greatest teacher. Richardson simply didn’t have enough to meet the Colts’ (unreasonably?) high expectations.
That in itself is the cruel calculus for an organization that sold itself out on an extremely raw quarterback prospect. To reach his ostensible high potential, Richardson required at least a full year of working through game plans and trying to process on the fly. Maybe two. If it came with struggles in the form of wildly inaccurate passes that couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, so be it. This was supposed to be a long-term process borne out of patience.
This was the deal the Colts made the moment they drafted Richardson.
By that same token, the NFL remains a business. There are 52 other players on the Colts roster who expect their leadership to make pragmatic decisions that are best for everyone. Yes, quarterbacks take the lion’s share of precedence over other positions for good reason, but that setup only happens for established stars. All changes are on the table for rusty anchors like Richardson that mostly drag everyone down. So, at this specific moment in time, Flacco is unquestionably a better option for Indianapolis than Richardson. While a journeyman, Flacco is someone other Colts veterans don’t have to worry about pulling his weight.
Because, for the most part, he probably will.
It’s shortsighted and cruel to Richardson’s overall development because it probably never happens without injury. But the Colts can’t afford to center his needs at the expense of everyone else’s or risk a not-so-subtle mutiny.
By no means is it over for Richardson’s future in Indianapolis. I’m of the opinion that this move is more of a complete reset for a limited quarterback that needs to take an extended breath without getting overwhelmed. Maybe it’s enough to see him start to turn the corner next year or perhaps even later this season.
Still, we can’t kid ourselves.
If the Colts weren’t willing to be patient with Richardson’s warts and blemishes now, when will they ever be? Everyone should already know the answer to that question.
