INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Richardson’s development has been stalled by an injury. Again.
The Indianapolis Colts’ third-year quarterback experienced soreness in his surgically-repaired right shoulder last Thursday and will be shut down at least until training camp opens July 22 in Westfield.
Coach Shane Steichen said team physicians determined Richardson is dealing with an aggravation with the AC joint in the shoulder. That’s the area that required surgery on Oct. 24, 2023 for a grade-2 sprain.
Further surgery is not anticipated.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating,’’ Steichen said Thursday, “but he’s in good spirits. We’re working through it right now.
“We’re not going to put a timetable for training camp on it. When he does come back, we’ll ease him into throwing.’’
Steichen attributed the aggravation to the accumulated stress of Richardson’s offseason throwing.
Prior to experiencing the soreness, Steichen insisted Richardson “was great. He was in a really good spot. He was making really good progress.’’
Now, that has been replaced by uncertainly.
Richardson and free-agent acquisition Daniel Jones are immersed in an open competition for the starting job, and now Jones will run the No. 1 offense. He likely will open training camp in that position and could have an inside lane to start the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins because of Richardson’s latest injury issue.
With Richardson temporarily out of the mix, the Colts’ quarterback room consists of Jones, Jason Bean and rookie Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the April draft.
The Colts used the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft on Richardson, believing he would develop into their quarterback of the future.
Instead, his two seasons have been marred by injuries and inconsistent play.
Richardson has missed 17 of a possible 34 starts because of a litany of injuries: the sprained right shoulder, a concussion, an oblique injury and back spasms.
Richardson also was benched for two games last season because of a lack of proper preparation for games.
In his 15 starts, Richardson has posted an 8-7 record but has been more effective as a rusher than passer. He’s completed just 50.6% of his passes, including a franchise-low 47.7% last season, with 11 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 67.8 rating.
As a runner, Richardson has piled up 635 yards and 11 TDs, including 499 yards last year which was a single-season club record for a quarterback.
The injury issue has been the overriding issue with Richardson, which led to the Colts signing Jones in March.
In his season wrap-up in early January, general manager Chris Ballard insisted the team couldn’t simply “stamp’’ Richardson as it’s starter going forward.
“Now we need the consistency down after down,’’ he said. “But the No. 1 thing we have to figure out, and what Anthony’s got to work through, is staying healthy. Like, he’s got to be able to stay healthy. And that to me is probably the biggest question right now, because now we’re going on two seasons in a row where he’s dealt with injuries.
“We’ve got to have competition at the position, just for one, the fact that competition makes everybody better. And then two, he’s not proven he can play 17 games.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.