Source: Todd Rosenberg / Getty
Anthony Richardson made his long-awaited return to the field on Sunday, starting the Colts’ first preseason game against the Denver Broncos.
After 308 days, fans were naturally excited to see their franchise quarterback back under center. Richardson showed a ton of potential in his injury-shortened rookie season and everyone hoped to see even more of it when he returned.
Instead, Richardson completed 2 of 4 passes for 25 yards in the two drives he led, with the Colts offense gaining 1 first down and punting both times.
Richardson’s accuracy, a problem for him coming out of college, was less than optimal, as he threw a pass that should have been intercepted and then later threw behind Kylen Granson for a 3.rd This forced the tight end to slow down, which ultimately led to him being tackled just before the post.
It’s always dangerous to put too much faith in what you see in the preseason. The Colts have obviously been running a boring scheme; Richardson’s legs have not been in use at any point and likely won’t be until the real games start. The Colts don’t want to give away how they plan to use the one-two punch of Richardson and Jonathan Taylor, and they don’t want to punish either of them unnecessarily.
Honestly, it was just nice to see Richardson back out there, give him some live drills and see him go home healthy. The ball seemed to come out of his hand at the same speed as before his injury and he protected himself smartly.
Let’s also not forget that this is basically Rookie Year Part 2 for Richardson. It’s not fair to expect him to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the league right out of the gate. His inexperience was one of the biggest concerns coming out of college, and that concern still exists a year later. The only solution to that is for him to play and take the good with the bad.
Richardson is still developing. Yes, it would have been nice to see him put the Broncos defense in the spotlight on his two drives, and we’ll need to see more than just bright spots in the future, but for now, it’s good enough that he’s healthy and back on the roster.
On Monday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke with ESPN’s Stephen Holder about Richardson’s return to the field. Listen to that conversation and more below, and tune in to The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6 p.m. on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
