INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts have made it clear they intend to shake things up at quarterback prior to the 2025 season.
But talking about their intentions at quarterback and successfully navigating this situation are two very different things. It all raises critical questions as the team plots a path forward with Anthony Richardson and a still-to-be-identified competitor for the starting job.
To recap, general manager Chris Ballard said last week that he intends to sign a quarterback this offseason to participate in an "open" competition with Richardson -- the team's 2023 first-round pick. It was a headline-making statement because of what it suggests: that the Colts are openly admitting to real uncertainty at quarterback.
"It's got to be the right guy to create real competition," Ballard said. "But we want to create real competition. I think it's good for the team. I think it's good for Anthony. We drafted Anthony [early], knowing it was going to take some time, and we knew there's going to be some hiccups along the way. And I know we all want a finished product right now. I do. You do. Fans do. We all do. But I think as he continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody's game."
Ballard said in January that Richardson's injury history would prompt them to make a move to solidify the quarterback position. He also hinted that a quarterback addition would serve to push Richardson as he tries to take the next step in his development after a rough second season in which he completed only 47.7% of his pass attempts.
But in his remarks during the NFL scouting combine, Ballard went even further. He said he wanted a quarterback who could "challenge" Richardson, setting up the potential for someone other than the soon-to-be 23-year-old to be the starter on opening day.
Drilling down on what this might look like reveals some questions.
Among them: Could holding a quarterback competition be counterproductive for Richardson?
One of the chief issues with Richardson is his inexperience. After two full seasons, he has started only 17 of a possible 34 games because of injuries. A true quarterback competition is one in which the two players have roughly an equal share of the practice and preseason snaps with the starting offense. Does that help Richardson in the grand scheme?
Richardson started 13 games in college and is still younger than some of the quarterbacks who will be selected in this year's draft. Cam Ward of Miami, who could be the first quarterback selected in April, will turn 23 three days after Richardson does on May 22. Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, another projected top quarterback prospect, is already 23.
Are the Colts willing to limit Richardson's precious reps during offseason and training camp practices to make space for evaluating a different quarterback? And, if so, will the missed preparation time have negative consequences for Richardson?
Asked last week about Richardson's inconsistent technique, coach Shane Steichen said he saw one way for it to be rectified.
"I think it's repetitions," Steichen said. "Just repetitions, going over and over again is going to be big for him."
That's an example of the other issue at play here: the mixed messaging.
On one hand, the Colts are preaching patience with Richardson, but on the other, they are publicly weighing the possibility of starting another quarterback in 2025. Richardson's struggles might justify such a decision. But it all runs counter to statements by Ballard and Steichen.
"I think for a six-game stretch there, we saw some really special stuff out of [Richardson]," Ballard said of the 2024 season. "I know we all want Superman every week and every day, but his [inexperience] when he came into the league and when we took him, it is what it is. So, we've got to work through that."
Time will tell how it all plays out. But Richardson has a couple of key factors working in his favor. The Colts' rich investment in the No. 4 pick of the 2023 draft will undoubtedly be a consideration in how the team moves forward. Relatedly, the ultimate fates of Ballard and Steichen are linked to Richardson because he was their selection and a major part of the team's plan to right the ship after a four-win 2022 season.
Richardson succeeding in Indianapolis for the long term would be a better outcome for all involved. But given Richardson's inconsistent play and the Colts' current approach to handling him, it is anyone's guess whether that will happen.