There is no quarterback controversy brewing in the heartland, as rookie signal-caller Anthony Richardson will remain the Indianapolis Colts starter as soon as he clears concussion protocol. He had to exit the Colts' Week 2 win at the division rival Houston Texans, giving way to none other than Gardner Minshew II. Minshew started in Week 3, helping beat the Baltimore Ravens in Charm City.
He first came to Indianapolis from the Philadelphia Eagles once their former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen took over the Colts operation. Indianapolis had the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, poised to take a quarterback, and possibly trade up for one. They opted to stand pat and took the high risk, high reward prospect that was Richardson coming out of Florida. It did make sense.
During his first two career starts, Richardson has played solidly. He went 1-1 with a 63.8 completion percentage, throwing for 279 yards, a touchdown and a pick in part of two games. Richardson also had 13 combined carries for 75 yards and three additional trips to pay dirt. Clearly, he is leaning on his ability to run while he learns Steichen's offense enough to the point where the game slows down.
Although he still has to clear concussion protocol, Richardson did return to Colts practice on Wednesday and took starter reps. Assuming he does clear protocol, the expectation is that Richardson will resume his position as the Colts starter when they take on the Los Angeles Rams.
While having two quarterbacks is not always a good thing for an NFL team, it might work out here.
Anthony Richardson on track to start for Indianapolis Colts in Week 4
Truth be told, Minshew is probably still good enough to start on a few lesser teams in the league. He may not have been anywhere near as good in Philadelphia as he was in Jacksonville and at Washington State before that, but the dude can ball! However, Richardson has genetic gifts far beyond growing a filthy mustache and sporting some freaking sweet flow like Minshew can do, bro!
Admittedly, this may be against my better judgement, but I kind of like what this era of Colts football is all about. They do not have star running back Jonathan Taylor back yet, but together with Steichen, Richardson has given Indianapolis something it has not had at the quarterback position since Andrew Luck retired: Hope. This could blow up in my face, but the Colts may be done with being ... the Colts.
Look. They have not won the division since 2014, which was Luck's third season out of Stanford. That was the Deflategate nonsense postseason and only a few short years before their punter Pat McAfee retired to become an A-list sports media personality. Who could have seen that coming? Frankly, we did not see Luck retire before his 30th birthday. He is a day younger than me, so Happy 34th, Andrew!
Right now, the Colts need to proceed with caution regarding Richardson's health. He is as raw as they come at the position, very much a bucking bronco like Josh Allen was coming out of Wyoming. Again, Allen is the pinnacle of what Richardson could be. His running abilities may give him a chance at being ... Cam Newton lite. At the very least, he could be very interesting like Vince Young was leaving Texas.
Richardson might be ready to rock on Sunday, but if not, the Colts can certainly count on Minshew.
