Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has endured a rough start to his NFL career. He has suffered multiple injuries and had to bounce back from a benching this past fall.
During a Thursday appearance on the “Pro Football Talk Live” program, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor offered quite a vote of confidence for Richardson.
“No. 1, aside from his physical talent, he’s super competitive,” Taylor said about Richardson, as Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk shared. “And you can see it — you can see the energy he plays with on the field. Similar to a Baker Mayfield-type of competitive nature, you can see it in their eyes. And I do think when you have a guy like that — and, you know, he’s young. Some of these guys are like 24 — he’s still like 22.”
Injuries limited Richardson to just four starts as a rookie, and he then missed time this past fall because of oblique/abdominal strains before he admitted he took himself out of a game because he was “tired.” Colts head coach Shane Steichen reacted to that controversial moment by benching Richardson for two contests before Steichen was essentially forced to return to the 22-year-old primarily because veteran Joe Flacco played poorly.
While Richardson produced a pair of game-winning drives and showed promise after he returned to the lineup, his second pro campaign ended prematurely due to severe back spasms. Colts general manager Chris Ballard confirmed in January that he plans to acquire “competition” at quarterback during the offseason, meaning Richardson will likely have to show that he can both stay healthy and improve upon his lackluster overall numbers this coming summer.
According to Pro Football Reference, Richardson ended the 2024 regular season ranked last in the league among qualified players with a 47.7% completion percentage, last with a 61.6 passer rating and 33rd with a 47.5 adjusted QBR. Despite those numbers, Taylor sounds confident that Richardson can become what the Colts thought the former Florida Gators star could be back in the winter of 2023.
“[He played] 13 games in college, 15 in the NFL, so he’s young,” Taylor added about his teammate. “But when you have a guy that has a competitive nature like that, and then what guys don’t see, or what people don’t see — he’s on the film. He’s in the playbook. He’s getting extra reps. So, he has that work ethic. I think that, in combination with his physical talents, is going to put him over the edge.”
If those traits don’t give Richardson the edge in an upcoming quarterback competition, Indianapolis could view him as surplus to requirements before the 2025 trade deadline.