Anthony Richardson is about to get one more swing at changing the conversation around him.
With Daniel Jones being handled carefully in Indianapolis, the Colts are holding their $88 million quarterback out of preseason action. Jones has reportedly looked sharp in training camp and hasn’t shown any signs of setbacks or the injuries that have been part of his recent past, so there’s no reason for the team to push him before Week 1. That opens the door for Richardson and Riley Leonard to handle the snaps for Shane Steichen’s team.
For Richardson, that matters more than it probably should for a preseason game. The Colts have already moved on in practice terms, and barring a surprise, Leonard is set to back up Jones. Richardson’s trade request, along with the uneven body of work that has followed him, has left him looking like a long shot to be anything more than an emergency or third-string option in Indianapolis.
But the league may not be finished with him yet.
There hasn’t been a market for Richardson so far, though that could change once teams get another look at him in a game-like setting. His physical tools are still the kind that can tempt a team with patience, desperation, or both.
He can look like a player built in a lab one series and then follow it with something almost impossible to explain the next. That has been the Anthony Richardson story all along: the highs are stunning, but the lows have clearly been louder.
That’s what makes this stretch so interesting. The mistakes have been ugly, the decision-making has raised plenty of alarms, and the concern over his durability is real after he tapped out of a game. Even with all of that, he’s still just 24, and someone around the league could decide the upside is worth the gamble.
The contract situation complicates things, especially for a player drafted as high as Richardson was. An extension would not be cheap, which is part of why the Colts’ patience appears to have run out.
It’s hard to see a path that ends with him finishing the season in Indianapolis, even if he somehow makes the 53-man roster. A release would not be a shocking outcome.
Still, Thursday gives him a stage.
The Colts open preseason against the New England Patriots, and while preseason football always needs a grain of salt, Richardson has a chance to do at least one thing: make another team stop and think. That may be the last meaningful step left in his Indianapolis run, but it could still matter somewhere else.
In Other News...
Sauce Gardner Brings An Unwanted Distraction Into Colts Preseason Opener
Sauce Gardners first preseason weekend with the Colts comes with an off-field issue he likely would prefer to leave behind. The Indianapolis cornerback has filed a lawsuit tied to a Detroit apartment building renovation project, a dispute that adds an unwelcome backdrop as he settles into his new football home and tries to keep the focus on the field.
According to the complaint, Gardner says he bought the property, paid a substantial deposit for the renovations and then saw the work stall after the contractor stopped communicating. The filing accuses the contractor and his company of fraud, breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment, and it seeks to recover the money Gardner put up along with additional damages. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Richardson And Caden Curry Put Colts Fans On Notice
The Colts preseason opener against New England ended in a 13-13 tie, but it still offered a useful early look at a roster trying to sort out its identity. Anthony Richardson Sr. gave Indianapolis the kind of flash it wants to see at quarterback, mixing in a rushing touchdown while the game swung through a series of turnovers and field goals on both sides.
On the other side of the ball, rookie defensive end Caden Curry made enough noise to get noticed right away, adding another encouraging development for a defense that wants more edge up front. With Andy Borregales handling the Patriots scoring and both teams trading key plays, the night served as a reminder that the Colts have some intriguing pieces worth watching as the preseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Braden Smiths Texans Move Suddenly Looks Far Less Secure
Braden Smiths move to Houston once looked like a straightforward fresh start after leaving Indianapolis, with the Texans bringing him in on a two-year contract to help solidify the right side of their offensive line. Instead, the early months of his new stop have brought more questions than clarity, as injuries in the offseason program and again in training camp have made it hard for Smith to get any kind of clean runway toward the job.
Trent Brown has taken advantage of the opening, piling up first-team work and turning the right tackle spot into a real competition rather than a handoff. The Texans unofficial depth chart reflects that uncertainty, listing Smith and Brown as possible starters, which leaves Houston sorting through a position that was supposed to be settled and now feels very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]