INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2024 season with clarity about who would be under center.
Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 draft pick in 2023 and one of the biggest (6-foot-4, 244 pounds) and fastest (4.43 40-yard dash) quarterbacks the NFL has seen, was the unquestioned starter in Indianapolis. It was welcome news for a team that had not seen a quarterback start consecutive season openers since Andrew Luck in 2015-16.
With Richardson's rookie season mostly lost to injury, Year 2 was expected to be about solidifying his status as a long-term franchise quarterback. Instead, the Colts enter 2025 with numerous questions at their most important position, prompting them to contemplate offseason moves and to second-guess whether Richardson is who they thought he was.
"I don't think we can completely stamp it," general manager Chris Ballard said recently when asked whether he believed Richardson was the team's long-term solution. "I like Anthony, and Anthony's done some really good things.
"But there's been some potholes, too."
Richardson regressed as a passer in 2024. Though he had only a small sample size as a rookie (four games), his completion percentage dropped more than 11 percentage points from his first season (59.5%) to his second (an NFL-low 47.7%). His turnovers jumped, too, with his interception rate rising from 1.2% to 4.5%. There also were the ambiguous issues with Richardson's off-field preparation, which Ballard said contributed to his midseason two-game benching.
Now, as the dust settles on the 2024 season, here is the latest on the primary issues surrounding the Colts' quarterback situation and Richardson as he looks ahead to a potentially decisive third season.
PERHAPS NO ISSUE has defined Richardson's two NFL seasons more than his injury history.
As a rookie, Richardson missed 13 games, 12 due to a right shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery and one due to a concussion. In 2024, Richardson was sidelined for two games early in the season with an oblique injury before missing the final two weeks with back spasms.
So, what now? First, the good news: The Colts are confident the back issue is not something that will impede Richardson in the long term. The spasms are believed to be related to the use of an orthotic walking boot Richardson had been wearing, which unexpectedly put stress on parts of his back.
"He's going into the offseason healthy," Ballard said.
Furthermore, according to multiple sources, Richardson has already resumed throwing in the two weeks since the season ended. He's also back performing football movements. His offseason training isn't underway in earnest just yet -- that starts in the next couple of weeks -- but no lingering issues with the back are anticipated.
Even if there are more issues to come, Richardson and the Colts believe they can be easily managed, allowing him to avoid future episodes like the one that sidelined him in Weeks 17 and 18.
"I don't think it'll impact me much, honestly," Richardson said.
Still, there's the rest of his injury history, which remains concerning for the Colts. It has prompted Ballard to move forward with the intention of signing "competition" at quarterback both to push Richardson and to protect the Colts in the event his injury issues continue.
"He's not proven he can play 17 games," Ballard said.
He added, "That, to me, is probably the biggest question right now, because we're going on two seasons in a row where he's dealt with injuries."
BALLARD SIGNALED A quarterback signing of consequence during the offseason. This was mostly predictable given the fact that this season's backup, Joe Flacco, turned 40 last Thursday.
The difference now, however, is Ballard is characterizing that signing differently than the Flacco signing last spring. The word "competition" is not used lightly, especially in light of Ballard recently expressing some second thoughts about naming Richardson the starting quarterback as a rookie.
For his part, Richardson said he's fine with the idea.
"I'm a natural competitor," he said. "I've been competing all my life. I love competing.
"So, if the team feels like that's the right direction we want to go in, I'm all for it. I'm competing. If not, I'm still here competing, working my tail off to be the best person I can for this team."
Exactly what constitutes competition remains to be seen. The upcoming class of quarterback free agents isn't ripe with options. But there could be intriguing players available like Justin Fields of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a player Ballard evaluated closely during the player's days at Ohio State and for whom Ballard had a fondness before the 2021 draft.
The concept of competition at quarterback might also reinforce the lessons the Colts hope Richardson has learned about taking ownership of the job. During his benching, the Colts asked Richardson to show more commitment to his preparation, leading to him spending more hours at the team facility and more time meeting with assistant coaches.
"Do you wish they all came in and were perfect pros from the get-go?" Ballard said. "Absolutely, you do. But that's not the case. We've got to help them grow."
YOUNG PLAYERS OFTEN make significant gains from their rookie seasons to their second. But in the case of Richardson, circumstances made this difficult. His short time in the lineup in 2023, coupled with his offseason rehabilitation coming off shoulder surgery, proved limiting.
Richardson resumed throwing late in February 2024, but his rehab was hardly over. He spent nearly the next two months rebuilding the strength in his arm to handle the endurance that would be required in actual practices. He remained on a closely monitored pitch count until the start of training camp. The goal throughout was not necessarily improvement but, rather, reestablishing where Richardson was prior to his surgery.
This offseason will look entirely different.
It's a chance, Ballard said, "to work on some things going forward that we think will help going into next season."
When Richardson returns to his offseason training in Florida, he'll be working on very specific areas of improvement with his team of coaches and trainers. Among them: refining his throws on short and intermediate routes and throwing with more touch. He'll be focusing on overall technique as well, such as his sometimes-sloppy footwork.
He also has plans to work with biometric expert Chris Hess, who counts Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen among his clients whose throwing motions he has helped refine.
During a recent NFL Films segment, Allen called Hess "the most influential person in my mechanical career." Allen credits Hess with helping him dramatically increase his completion rate from 52.8% as a rookie to 69.2% by his third season.
It's all part of a bigger effort by Richardson to demonstrate he can be the quarterback the Colts need him to be. No one, including the Colts, wants to think about the alternative.
"I've just got to make sure I'm on point," Richardson said, "doing everything I can to help this organization go in the right direction."