It was a rough rookie year for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.
The youngster suffered a concussion in his second game of the season, which knocked him out of action for Week 3. Then, two games after returning, Richardson sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign and ultimately resulted in surgery.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard provided an update on Richardson’s status on Wednesday, saying that the second-year signal-caller is making progress.
“He started throwing, he’s on a rehab program,” Ballard said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “We’re not going to — like, I lived through the last one and I learned a lot of lessons living through the last one. Forgive me for being a little cautious. I know Anthony has made some statements that it’s important to be ahead of schedule. We’re here to pull the reins to make sure we don’t get too far ahead of schedule and we’re staying with whatever the doctors are telling us.”
During the short time he was on the field in 2023, Richardson threw for 577 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while completing 59.5 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 87.3. He also rushed for 136 yards and four scores while averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
“But he’s in good shape, he’s throwing — he’s got a good throwing program,” added Ballard. “We’ve got good people working with him. I’m encouraged about where he’s at and where he’s going, and we’ll go from there.”
Richardson, who played his collegiate football the University of Florida, was selected by Indianapolis with the fourth overall pick of the NFL Draft last spring.
Gardner Minshew stepped up in Richardson’s absence, nearly leading the Colts to the playoffs. Indianapolis ultimately went 9-8 and finished one game behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South.
We’ll see if Anthony Richardson can take the Colts to the next level in 2024.
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