The Indianapolis Colts have to be excited about the production that they have received from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson to this point. However, overshadowing the numbers he has put up are the injuries that he has suffered.
Anthony Richardson has not been able to stay healthy during his rookie season. He has been forced to the sidelines in three out of the four games that he has played this season; one he missed entirely because of a concussion, which Gardner Minshew took over as the starter.
Unfortunately for the Colts, they are going to be turning to Minshew as the starter once again for the foreseeable future. Anthony Richardson suffered a nasty injury to his right shoulder, his throwing arm against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5.
Harold Landry III tackled him but all of the force landed on his shoulder, resulting in an AC Joint sprain. The extent of the injury is still being figured out, but Anthony Richarson is set to miss at least four weeks as he has been placed on injured reserve.
Initially, the Grade 3 sprain he was diagnosed with comes with a 4-6 week recovery timetable. However, a recent report from ESPN states that Anthony Richardson can be sidelined for at least eight weeks.
That would be a brutal blow for a Colts team that has gotten off to a strong 3-2 start. Their game plan offensively will have to be adjusted as Anthony Richardson’s playing style is different from that of Minshew, who will be starting for as long as he is sidelined.
Having Minshew step into the lineup is certainly nice for Indianapolis as he is a more than capable backup. He has found some success as a starter in his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles previously. He knows the system well that head coach Shane Steichen is running, so there shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment from that standpoint.
Minshew will be starting games against the Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, at a minimum. Anthony Richardson is eligible to return for Week 10 against the New England Patriots, but returning to play after the minimum number of absences seems unlikely.
