Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts had a somewhat concerning injury history before head coach Shane Steichen benched the second-year quarterback for a pair of games because of performance-related reasons and/or because Richardson temporarily took himself out of a contest because he was "tired."
For a piece published Wednesday, Colts reporter Stephen Holder of ESPN made it clear that the team's use of Richardson over the past three games shows Steichen and Co. have few concerns about the 22-year-old's health.
"While he has continued to be inconsistent as a passer — his 52.4% completion percentage since Week 10 is the lowest in the league — he has ramped up his impact in the running game," Holder said about Richardson. "Richardson is averaging 7.6 designed QB runs in the three starts since he returned to the lineup versus 3.5 in the six games before his benching in late October. The Colts have also used him more as a runner in the red zone — he had three rushing touchdowns in the past three games after one in his first six."
Richardson has routinely suggested he's been more unlucky than injury-prone since the Colts made him the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Over the past 15 months, he was shaken up in his regular-season debut, suffered a concussion in Week 2 of last season, required surgery on his shoulder following his fourth career start and then missed time earlier this fall with what was reported as oblique and abdominal strains.
Per the StatMuse website, Richardson and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills began Wednesday tied for fourth among quarterbacks with 70 rushing attempts for the ongoing campaign. Allen has played in 12 games, while Richardson has appeared in nine.
Some speculated after Steichen benched Richardson that the Colts could move on from the signal-caller during the upcoming offseason. While Richardson's handling of that demotion and subsequent play have seemingly impressed his coaches, one would think the team would want to better protect a young man acquired with a pricey draft asset to be a franchise quarterback.
Then again, maybe there's a reason Steichen is using Richardson like other clubs would utilize an out-of-contract offensive weapon.
