Anthony Richardson has encountered another injury setback. The third-year Colts quarterback is dealing with a shoulder injury which will keep him out of minicamp, head coach Shane Steichen announced on Thursday. 
The affected shoulder – which recently experienced soreness – is the same one in which Richardson suffered an AC joint sprain in 2023, as noted by ESPN’s Stephen Holder. That injury ended his rookie campaign after just four games and cost the former No. 4 pick development time. The same is now true in this case.
No surgery will be required this time around, but Richardson will nevertheless miss valuable spring reps during his bid to earn the starting gig. Steichen added (via James Boyd of The Athletic) no timeline is in place for a return but noted he hopes Richardson will be back at some point during during training camp. The latter entered this offseason in an open competition with Daniel Jones for the QB1 spot based on his missed time and underwhelming play when healthy. This latest setback will give Jones additional first-team reps.
After his Giants tenure came to an end, Jones finished the 2024 season in Minnesota. Just like Sam Darnold, though, he departed in free agency. The 28-year-old took a contract with a base value of $14MM this spring and in doing so became an option to see considerable time atop the Colts’ depth chart this season. Steichen has previously made it clear Richardson and Jones would evenly split first-team reps during OTAs, a plan indicating the extent to which the position was unsettled based on how things transpired last year.
Richardson avoided a major injury during his second season in Indianapolis, but he still missed some time for that reason. The Florida product also found himself benched in favor of Joe Flacco at one point while posting a completion percentage of just 47.7% and a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio (8:12) on the year. Major improvement will be needed if Richardson is to solidify himself as an NFL starter.
Next spring, the Colts will need to decide on Richardson’s 2027 fifth-year option. That call will depend in large part on how he performs this season, something which will of course require winning the competition with Jones. For the time being, though, only the latter will be available for on-field work.