After selecting Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts have made it clear that they intend to give the former Florida Gators star a lot of reps as he develops into an NFL quarterback. But apparently, that doesn’t include the preseason.
As Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports points out, the Indianapolis Colts have made the insane decision to sit Anthony Richardson during the team’s preseason matchup against the Bears even though he desperately needs reps to improve.
“Out of all the quarterbacks selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, Richardson may have the heighest ceiling. He registered as the most athletic quarterback to ever go through the NFL Combine, and possesses an NFL-level arm. However, the one knock on Richardson is that he is not polished as a passer — he’s raw,” Dajani wrote for CBS Sports this week. “Richardson tied Mitch Trubisky in having the fewest career college starts by a first-round pick since 2000 with 13. He also had the worst career completion percentage (55%) for a first-round pick since Jake Locker from the 2011 class. Richardson threw just 24 touchdowns in 24 career games at Florida. Doesn’t he need these reps?”
Richardson is by far the least experienced quarterback of the three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and will be one of the least experienced quarterbacks in NFL history. So this decision was certainly puzzling.
