Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s development was a major topic of conversation at General Manager Chris Ballard’s end of the season press conference on Friday.
Richardson’s second season saw him continue to struggle with accuracy — he completed 47.7 percent of his passes — while also flashing great arm strength and an ability to impact games with his rushing ability. Richardson also missed due to injury for the second year in a row and was benched for two games, which Ballard said came because he was “drowning.”
Ballard said there was part of him that felt the time on the bench should have been longer and that “in an ideal world” they would have had Richardson on the bench “no matter what” to kick off his NFL career. He noted that those observations come with hindsight and the key issue is what to do with Richardson now. Ballard said “consistency down after down” is important, but it can only come with Richardson being well enough to play.
“The No. 1 thing we have to figure out and what Anthony’s got to work through is staying healthy,” Ballard said.
If Richardson can’t progress on those fronts, the Colts will have to chart a new course and it might not be one that involves Ballard either.
