Fans of the Indianapolis Colts were unfortunately given only a small sample of Anthony Richardson during his NFL debut. The intriguing rookie quarterback suffered a right shoulder injury that ended his season and left many wondering if that ailment would linger into training camp. Well, on Wednesday, general manager Chris Ballard provided a welcoming update.
Is Anthony Richardson a Full Go for Training Camp?
Ballard revealed to reporters that Richardson is good to go for training camp and gave an even more promising update.
“I’m not expecting any limitations right now,” Ballard said in his session with reporters, meaning Richardson isn’t bothered by his past shoulder ailment.
Ballard additionally shared how Richardson “threw about 100 balls” the day before. The Colts general manager acknowledged that amount could wear out a quarterback. Ballard additionally reminded the media that the franchise held the 22-year-old out of their final veteran minicamp practice in early June due to a sore shoulder.
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It’s an encouraging sign for Colts fans that their second-year passer is a full go for camp and looking healthier ahead of the 2024 season. Ballard, though, expects Richardson to take a new step forward this fall.
“We liked all the stuff we saw, but he’s still got to go out and prove it over the course of time, like any player does,” Ballard said. “You can be a flash, but he’s still gotta go prove it over the course of time. But we think we’ve got a good football team around him where he doesn’t necessarily have to carry us.”
Looking Back at Richardson’s Injury-Riddled 2023
The No. 4 overall selection from the 2023 draft class was bottled to just four total starts. Richardson’s shoulder, though, wasn’t his only notable injury.
He sustained a concussion in Week 2 against the Houston Texans and ended that contest completing 6 of 10 passes for 56 yards. He also carried the ball three times and racked up 35 yards.
Richardson managed to insert himself back into the starting lineup in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. He went 11 of 25 for 200 yards and tossed two touchdowns, plus added 56 rushing yards through 10 carries in the overtime loss.
Nine minutes of Anthony Richardson highlights.
No need to thank us. pic.twitter.com/T0OA1pr3Br
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts)
The following week witnessed the season-ending ailment. Richardson left Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans after throwing 9 of 12 for 98 yards. He injured his throwing shoulder when two Titans defenders piled on top of him during a designed read-option keeper near the 4:30 mark of the second quarter.
Richardson underwent shoulder surgery in October, then later watched Gardner Minshew become a sudden Pro Bowl selection in leading the Colts to a 9-8 mark.
Should Fantasy Managers Be Concerned?
Colts fans can breathe out relief knowing that their top-five draft selection of last year is ready to go. Richardson’s clean bill of health also means he’ll get some reps during the August preseason slate.
But should fantasy football managers exercise caution with rolling with the Colts QB for their teams? Pro Football Network Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe provided his take and expertise.
“Richardson’s athletic profile is tailor-made for our game. His physical make-up is rare, and with the Colts investing in his supporting cast (new deal of Michael Pittman Jr. along with the drafting of Adonai Mitchell), it’s possible that there is no such thing as ‘reaching’ on the second-year QB this season with this report that he is all systems go,” Soppe said.
Soppe included how despite the limited playing time, Richardson showed enough spark to win over fantasy managers.
“In essentially 12 quarters of action as a rookie, Richardson showed us everything we needed to see as a rusher. The passing might be a work in progress to a degree, but if the past has taught us anything, it’s that fantasy managers can overlook that.”
Soppe included how Richardson’s 3.6% TD rate and 6.9 yards per pass nearly matched the rookie numbers from Cam Newton and Josh Allen despite the truncated action. Both latter passers delivered a 3.7% TD rate and averaged 7.3 yards per pass completion. Meanwhile, Richardson’s 59.5% completion percentage was higher than the 57.2 both Newton and Allen finished with in their NFL debuts.
Soppe predicts a strong peak out of Richardson ahead for fantasy managers.
“With a late bye week and a Broncos/Titans/Giants close to the fantasy season, we could be talking about an elite asset that peaks at the perfect time,” Soppe said.
