Anthony Richardson Sr. was held out of practice Wednesday with a groin injury, leaving the Colts with a possible shakeup behind starting quarterback Daniel Jones.
Richardson was present for the portion of practice open to the media, but he was not in pads. He wore sweatpants, stayed on the sideline in his red No. 5 jersey and watched reps with a towel over his head while Jones and rookie Riley Leonard worked through individual and positional drills.
The timing matters because Richardson had already worked his way into the backup role after a strong preseason. Head coach Shane Steichen named him Jones’ backup on Sept. 3 after Richardson outplayed Leonard in exhibition action, going 21-for-33 for 249 yards, one touchdown and two turnovers across three preseason games.
If Richardson can’t suit up, Leonard would likely move up to the No. 2 job for Sunday night’s trip to Kansas City.
Richardson’s injury history has been a major part of his NFL story. Last season, the 2023 No. 4 pick missed the final 12 games after suffering a fractured orbital bone and impaired vision in a freak pre-game locker room accident. He also asked for permission to seek a trade during the combine in February, though nothing materialized.
His first three seasons have been packed with stops and starts. He left his first career game in Week 1 of 2023 with an ankle injury, returned the next week, then suffered a concussion that kept him out in Week 3.
His rookie year ended in Week 5 with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder. In the next season, he missed two games in the middle of the year with a hip injury and two more to close 2024 because of back spasms.
Richardson also missed Indianapolis’ first couple days of organized team activities in April before eventually reporting to the facility and entering the competition for the backup quarterback job with Leonard.
He has appeared in two games in 2025 after losing the starting job to Jones, rushing four times in mop-up duty during a Week 3 blowout win over the Titans and then making one pass - a completion to himself - in Week 5 against the Raiders, one week before the severe face injury.
The Colts head to Kansas City on Sunday evening for Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs while carrying an eight-game losing streak, the longest active streak in the league. Leonard appeared in five games as a rookie last year, including a start in the season finale in Houston.
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