Colts Talk Training Camp Debut, Plan for Former Gators QB Anthony Richardson
Former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson made his training camp debut with the Colts on Wednesday following his No. 4 overall selection by Indianapolis in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Practicing with the second team, according to Horseshoe Huddle, Richardson impressed onlookers during team drills in the red zone with a 2-of-2 passing line including a touchdown throw to wide receiver Ethan Fernea, adding a would-be rushing score.
Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen complimented Richardson's performance, suggesting the offense operated at a fast pace in order to prevent the Colts' quarterbacks from being overly analytical in their first full practice of the preseason.
“I thought he did a nice job," Steichen said of Richardson.
"When you play fast with young quarterbacks, I think it definitely helps. They don’t have to think about too much stuff. Obviously, we’re in the huddle today, but we have a system where we can get in and out of the huddle and do those different things.”
Veteran signal-caller Gardner Minshew took first-team reps to begin camp, after the two quarterbacks split those opportunities during spring and summer workouts. Steichen indicated that a rotation between the veteran and the rookie with the starting offense will begin in the near future and that the strategy will continue throughout camp.
However, the head coach won't rush into a decision regarding who will take snaps come Week 1. General manager Chris Ballard emphazied a need for patience making such a choice when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, placing his faith in team ownership, personnel and the coaching staff to produce the right one together when the time comes.
"You don’t want to put [Richardson] out there and he’s not ready to handle everything that requires playing the position," Ballard said. "I’ll lean heavily on our coaching staff — on what they think and what they think he can handle and what he’s ready for. Then eventually he’ll play."
That being said, Ballard implied the need for Richardson to take the field against opposing teams sooner rather than later, sharing his belief that live reps will aid his development more than observing the pro game from the sidelines.
"We can go through camp and get every rep we can, but until you're in a game and you're actually getting those live bullet reps, it's hard to really grow and get better," Ballard stated.
"There's going to be some successes but there's going to be some failure too along the way. You want him to be ready to handle enough of the offense where we can give them enough tools to where they can perform and have success."
The Colts made Richarson their franchise quarterback following his lone campaign as the Gators' starting signal-caller, in which he completed 53.8% of his 327 passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 654 yards and nine scores.
Following the season, Richardson's draft stock soared with a record-setting performance among quarterbacks at the NFL Combine, posting a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a 129-inchh broad jump en route to a top five selection in the draft by Indianapolis.
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