Quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered an oblique injury during the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which led to his early exit. Richardson’s availability for Week 5 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars is in question, but he was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday.
Injuries have unfortunately been a storyline in Richardson’s young career. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury four starts into his rookie campaign, and is now again dealing with an injury after four starts in Year 2. On Wednesday, Richardson was asked for his response to those who believe he’s an injury prone player.
“I mean, it’s football,” Richardson said, via Pro Football Talk. “I’m pretty sure if they got out of the house and came out here and got hit by somebody that’s running 20-plus miles per hour every week, I’m pretty sure they’d be sore dealing with injuries as well.
“People are going to talk. That’s what people do. I’m not necessarily worried about it, I’m just trying to focus on getting better day-by-day.”
While Richardson isn’t worried about injuries, availability is the best ability. It’s not only that the No. 4 overall pick missed 13 starts in his rookie season. He was able to finish just one game healthy his first year. Richardson exited his first career start in the fourth quarter due to an injury, suffered a concussion in the first half of Week 2, missed Week 3 with that concussion and then suffered his shoulder injury in Week 5.
Richardson will need to be smart about the hits he takes moving forward, but his ability as a runner is what makes him so unique. His 277 rushing yards through his first eight career starts ranks sixth-most among quarterbacks since the 1970 merger. Remember, Richardson left half of those eight starts early due to injury!
Unfortunately, Richardson as a passer hasn’t been as effective. He’s hit a few impressive bombs downfield, but is also tied for the league lead in interceptions with six. Richardson’s 50.6% completion percentage also ranks last in the NFL. He’s completed 53% of his passes with a clean pocket this year. Nobody else is under 61%.
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