Since Andrew Luck retired in August of 2019, the Indianapolis Colts have struggled to find stability at QB. In the 2023 NFL Draft, they had the fourth overall pick and took Florida QB Anthony Richardson. During training camp, Richardson has been splitting first-team reps with journeyman, Gardner Minshew.
Today, head coach Shane Steichen announced that Richardson will start the Colts’ first pre-season game on Saturday vs Buffalo. He said that he expects his starters to get at least one-quarter of action. This will be Anthony Richardson’s first taste of a real NFL game.
Anthony Richardson has done enough at camp to earn the starting spot in the Colts’ first pre-season game
Update: The #Colts are starting rookie 4th overall pick QB Anthony Richardson over Gardner Minshew for Week 1 of pre-season. pic.twitter.com/KAS1jNUD8w
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 10, 2023
During his college career, Anthony Richardson was at Florida from 2020-2022. The 2022 season was his only season as a full-time starter. However, the 21-year-old had 17 passing and 9 rushing touchdowns, proving he’s a dual-threat QB. Compared to the other QBs that were drafted before him, Richardson is easily the most talented.
However, his playing time as a college starter is limited. Richardson needs all the exposure he can get from the NFL before they are ready to name him the starter. When asked about the opportunity to start on Saturday, Richardson smiled at the media and said he “was excited”. He agrees that the pre-season will be a good test to see where he’s at in his QB development. If he’s not ready to be the starter by Week 1, Gardner Minshew has the experience needed.
Anthony Richardson on Saturday’s game, “I’m looking forward to the first hit. Once I get hit, I know I’m in the game for real.” pic.twitter.com/AV73iELv4Z
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) August 10, 2023
Minshew is heading into his fifth NFL season after being a sixth-round pick by the Jaguars in 2019. He played 23 games over two seasons for the Jags and made 20 starts. In 2021 and 2022, he was with the Philadelphia where he played in nine games and made four starts. Jalen Hurts eventually took over his job with the Eagles.
Indianapolis’ Week 1 game is exactly one month away. They will play the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1:00 pm EST. Until then, Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew will be competing to be the Colts’ starter in 2023.
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