INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, in the midst of a quarterback battle with veteran Daniel Jones, has aggravated the right shoulder joint he injured in 2023 and will be sidelined for an undetermined length of time, coach Shane Steichen said Thursday.
Steichen said Richardson missed all three offseason practices this week and will be held out of next week's three-day mandatory minicamp. Steichen was noncommittal when asked whether Richardson would be ready for the start of training camp, which begins on July 22.
The news comes on the heels of Richardson approaching trainers after a practice last week and reporting soreness in the shoulder, Steichen said. After examination, doctors determined he suffered an aggravation of his AC joint, which Richardson sprained five weeks into his rookie season.
That previous injury required season-ending surgery. This one won't, Steichen said, but Richardson needs rest.
"Not going to put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we'll ease him into throwing and then we'll go from there," Steichen said.
Asked whether this kind of soreness is normal for players who previously sustained AC joint injuries, Steichen said he was not sure.
The news is a major setback for Richardson amid the quarterback battle with Jones. Richardson has already missed 17 total games in two seasons because of injuries, including 12 games missed because of the previous shoulder sprain. The Colts also benched Richardson for two games last season, briefly opting for veteran Joe Flacco.
The No. 4 pick in 2023, Richardson arrived with hopes of becoming the franchise quarterback in Indianapolis. But his injury travails have dealt a blow to those hopes.
Prior to this injury, Steichen said, Richardson "was in a really good spot. He was throwing it good. Meetings were good. He was making really good progress."
This injury, considering its timing, is among Richardson's biggest blows. The Colts, dissatisfied with Richardson's progress in Year 2 last season, set out to add "competition" to their quarterback unit and did so to the tune of a $14 million one-year contract for Jones.
The former Giants first-round choice who flamed out in New York accepted the Colts' offer with the mindset that he would have a chance to resurrect his career. Richardson's injury gives him an opening to do just that.
"Daniel will get a lot of reps and then we'll see how it plays out," Steichen said.
Richardson's struggles on the field weren't the only factor that prompted them to address the quarterback position. Ultimately, the track record of injuries with Richardson came into play, too.
"We can't beat our head against the wall," general manager Chris Ballard said in January. "We've got to have competition at the position just for the fact that competition makes everybody better, and then two, he's not proven he can play 17 games." That statement seems prescient now with Richardson sidelined again. After injuring his shoulder in 2023, Richardson last season confronted an oblique/hip injury that sidelined him for two games and back spasms/soreness that kept him out for the final two games.
In Richardson's absence, sixth-round pick Riley Leonard will occupy the No. 2 spot. The Colts will not make a quarterback roster move for now, according to Steichen.