As Colts bench Anthony Richardson, it’s clear they’re content embracing mediocrity

They told us there would be ups and downs. They told us there would be growing pains. They told us it would be worth the wait — or that they’d at least be patient enough to find out it wasn’t.

But now, 18 months after drafting quarterback Anthony Richardson fourth, the Indianapolis Colts are pulling the plug on the player who was meant to put an end to the QB merry-go-round that has plagued this franchise ever since Andrew Luck retired in 2019.

On Tuesday afternoon, news broke that the Colts (4-4) were officially making the move to bench Richardson in favor of 39-year-old backup Joe Flacco, who will start Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings (5-2).

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It would have been understandable if Indianapolis eventually decided Richardson was not a part of its future. That’s not the outcome anyone in Indianapolis wanted, but the reality is that not every highly drafted QB pans out. However, to do this just 10 games into Richardson’s career is mind-bogglingly short-sighted.

The Colts decided to make this move following Richardson’s poor showing Sunday, in which he finished 10-of-32 passing in a 23-20 loss at Houston — keep in mind Tyler Goodson dropped a touchdown; Will Mallory dropped a first down; and Michael Pittman Jr., by his own admission, didn’t do nearly enough to help Richardson as his top target.

Colts coach Shane Steichen telegraphed Richardson’s benching Monday when he was asked if Richardson would remain the starting QB in Week 9.

“We are evaluating everything,” Steichen said

When pushed further about Richardson’s starter status, Steichen replied, “Right now, today, he is, yes.”

But what about Sunday at Minnesota? “We’re evaluating,” he said.

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It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was coming next.

And let me be clear: Benching Richardson is a huge mistake. To divorce themselves, even temporarily, from the 22-year-old super-athlete who has barely played half of a full NFL season in favor of an almost 40-year-old journeyman makes little sense.

Why?

Let’s start with Richardson, whose confidence they are killing and whose trust in Indy’s coaches and in the organization is going to erode. Remember, they didn’t just promise Colts fans patience. They promised him, too.

Obviously, he hasn’t played the way they’d hoped, but early struggles shouldn’t exactly have been a surprise.

One of the biggest concerns about Richardson coming out of Florida was his lack of experience. “He’s got blue traits, but there’s no résumé,” Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds said after the 2023 NFL Draft. Thirteen starts were all Richardson had with the Gators, and he’s had even fewer in the NFL.

Richardson’s rookie year being cut to just four games due to a season-ending shoulder injury wasn’t ideal, nor was the oblique injury that knocked him out of two games this year. There are legitimate concerns about Richardson’s long-term durability and whether he can be available enough to even be properly evaluated.

But despite all of that, he is currently healthy, and the Colts needed to play him as much as possible throughout the rest of this season, regardless of how ugly it got, because a season-long assessment of Richardson is much more valuable than the alternative.

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I can hear the chorus of Colts fans now: What about trying to win now? What about making the playoffs? I’ll get back to those things in a moment, but for those who can’t wait, yes, Richardson’s development trumps all of that — especially since the best-case scenario with Flacco running the show doesn’t come with a fairy-tale ending.

Look, there’s no sugarcoating Richardson’s struggles. He hasn’t played like the promising QB he looked like last year when he scored seven total touchdowns in just four games. But a big part of Richardson’s regression this year, I believe, has been Steichen’s play calling, which seems to be less tailored to Richardson’s strengths than it was last season. I asked Steichen, who after every game says he’s “gotta be better,” how he can be better as a play caller for his young QB.

“Running the ball better, putting him in simpler positions, getting the ball out of his hands quicker so he’s not dropping back, sitting back there,” Steichen said Monday.

So, why hasn’t Steichen done more of that? After all, this is “his guy,” according to owner Jim Irsay, who leaned on Steichen’s opinion when evaluating quarterbacks ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. Richardson would not be in Indianapolis if Steichen hadn’t advocated for it.

Keep that in mind as you consider this benching. And this, too: Pulling the plug on Richardson is a clear indictment of Steichen, who either failed to develop Richardson properly or failed in his evaluation of the QB.

I lean toward the former, as we’re eight games into Richardson’s second season. For the six games Richardson has played, he’s been asked far too many times to be a pure pocket passer when we all know accuracy is his biggest on-field issue.

In the season opener this year, Richardson appeared to be picking up where he left off after a promising rookie campaign. His 60-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce captivated the NFL world. But since then, the roller coaster has been a lot more down than up.

Richardson has thrown four touchdowns against seven interceptions this season. His 44.4 completion percentage is the worst in the NFL among qualified QBs. And he didn’t garner any grace by subbing himself out Sunday because he was “tired” following a failed scramble against the Texans in which, in fairness to Richardson, he chucked a 318-pound defensive tackle off his back.

“We had a conversation about it, and I think he knows that’s not the standard that he needs to play up to and the rest of the team holds him to,” said center Ryan Kelly, the Colts’ longest-tenured player. “I’ll kind of leave the conversation we had at that, but I’m sure he’s gonna take some criticism for that and rightfully so. That’s a tough look. … But if anyone ever questions how hard he plays, I don’t think that that’s the case.”

Steichen said Monday that Richardson’s request to be subbed out for one play didn’t factor into the team’s decision to re-evaluate who will be the starting QB at Minnesota. But it clearly didn’t go over well in the locker room, and it’s fair to suggest that Richardson may have to rebuild his reputation a bit among his peers, all of whom have continued to support him publicly.

But despite the bad optics for Richardson, benching him is a terrible overreaction by the Colts.

Sure, a sound argument can be made that Flacco has been steadier and probably even better than Richardson this season. The former Super Bowl MVP has thrown seven touchdowns against one interception while going 1-1 as Richardson’s backup. But remember what I said about the best-case scenario? It’s not as rosy as some may think. Even if Flacco plays well and leads Indianapolis to the playoffs, this is not a team with a realistic chance of winning the Super Bowl.

These Colts aren’t beating the Chiefs in the playoffs. Or the Bills. Or the Ravens.

Indy’s defense has been injured and inconsistent. Its top wide receiver, Pittman, has a bad back. And its starting left tackle, Bernhard Raimann, just entered concussion protocol days before Indianapolis has to face an always challenging Brian Flores-led defense in Minnesota.

Does that sound like a recipe for instant success or future growth? To me, it sounds like a surefire path to mediocrity. And the Colts are embracing it. Even if they manage to finish 9-8 or 10-7 while clinching their first playoff berth since 2020, they’d be sacrificing their draft positioning next spring and starting over again at quarterback with a worse pick than if Richardson simply played and struggled.

Perhaps others could be convinced that Richardson’s benching is only temporary, and that his time on the sideline this season will help him learn and prepare for a redo in 2025. Maybe, but the Colts are now running the risk of shattering Richardson’s confidence. At this point, by the time he plays again, it will be his third NFL season, and they still will be no closer than they are now to knowing if they have their long-term answer at quarterback.

They’re just kicking the can down the road.

“I definitely could have delivered the ball better. I definitely could have made some better checks. I could have played better. I definitely understand that,” Richardson said after Sunday’s loss. “Even when we play well and we win the game, they’re going to say, ‘A.R. was the main reason we won.’ You’ve just got to be able to take both sides of it, the wins and the losses.

“I’m just steadily trying to grow and just keep getting better.”

That’s not going to happen now as Colts chase another early playoff exit instead of seizing every opportunity for their young QB to sink or swim.

“Peyton (Manning’s rookie) year we were 3-13 the first year, and that’s a guy who played a lot of college games and was really prepared as much as he could be for the league,” Irsay said on “The Pat McAfee Show” in July 2023. “So, for Anthony Richardson it’s gonna be tough. We know that. But he has to play to get better. There’s no question.”

So, why are they questioning it now?

(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)