Colts Anthony Richardson Has Brutal Spot in 2024 QB Rankings
The Indianapolis Colts won’t see the postseason for a fourth-straight campaign after finishing at a low mark of 8-9. However, everything for the upcoming offseason is about what happens with quarterback Anthony Richardson and his development.
In a recent piece from Nick Shook at NFL.com ranking all 32 primary starting quarterbacks for 2024, Richardson gets dangerously close to finishing as the worst field general at number 28.
Whether it was the inaccuracy, the awful interceptions, the moment he asked out of a game because he was tired or the injuries, Richardson was only consistent at one thing: being inconsistent.
– Nick Shook | NFL.com
It might seem like harsh criticism to see words like ‘awful,’ but Richardson wasn’t good in 2024 and looked all over the place under center, especially before his benching for Joe Flacco.
Shook isn’t wrong when he says Richardson was inconsistent. Through 11 starts, Richardson was brutally bad with his accuracy and turnovers, posting 126/264 passes completions (47.7%) for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Richardson did showcase great running ability on 86 attempts for 499 rushing yards (5.8 average) and six scores with his feet. However, he fumbled the pigskin nine times, bad enough for nearly once per contest. If Richardson wants to succeed, that cannot continue given the incredible speed of NFL defenses.
The Colts desperately need Richardson to spend an offseason working on his technique, because if he irons out his passing, he can become a player worthy of the first-round pick they spent on him. He fell well short of expectations in Year 2, though.
– Nick Shook | NFL.com
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Richardson’s expectations for year three will be massive, as he hardly saw the field in 2023 (AC joint sprain) and undershot where the Colts likely wanted him to be in 2024. Due to this, Richardson’s 2025 campaign may be a make-or-break year.
Richardson’s improvements must come in the way of fundamentals, accuracy, decision-making, and staying on the field. Even general manager Chris Ballard mentioned that Richardson’s lack of staying healthy must be addressed.
Richardson has seen only 15 out of 34 games to start his NFL career, so he’ll look to notch as close to 17 games in 2025 as possible. The sky is the limit for Richardson’s potential with weapons like Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Jonathan Taylor at his disposal. However, none of this matters if he’s hurt and on the sideline watching.
The Colts’ season may already be concluded, but there is so much ahead that will shape the future of the franchise and Richardson’s standing with it. Can Indianapolis right the ship ahead of a critical year? It will be paramount if the Colts want to end their playoff drought this time next season.
