What Happened to Anthony Richardson? Breaking Down When the Colts QB Will Return From Injury
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. has been on a winding path since entering the NFL. Drafted fourth overall in 2023, his uneven play eventually pushed the Colts to hand the 2025 starting job to offseason addition Daniel Jones.
Richardson had settled into a backup role, but a mishap during pre-game warmups in Week 6 altered his situation entirely. Here is a look at what happened to the young quarterback.
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Why Is Anthony Richardson No Longer Daniel Jones’ Backup?
Heading into training camp, Richardson was still viewed as the favorite to keep the starting role, but it was also clear he would have to fend off real competition from Jones. After a difficult final season with the Giants and a midyear release, almost no one expected Jones to win the job. Yet he impressed the staff, secured the role, and pushed Richardson into a backup position.
In Week 6, everything took a turn during pre-game warmups. Richardson suffered a serious eye injury and was ruled out shortly afterward. He later underwent surgery to repair an orbital fracture, and the Colts placed him on injured reserve.
Despite serving as Jones’ backup in 2025, Richardson appeared in two games this year as the Colts have been an offensive juggernaut. Indianapolis has the league’s best offense based on PFSN’s Offense Impact metric.
Richardson has gotten some garbage-time fourth-quarter snaps. He hasn’t done much in his two appearances, completing one of two passes for nine yards and rushing for times for -1 yards as the Colts have leaned heavily on the rushing game when he’s been in.
While there have been high hopes for Richardson since being drafted in 2023, injuries and inconsistency have highlighted his NFL career so far. He was limited to just four games during his rookie campaign. Then, between an early benching and an injury, he could only play in 11 games during the 2024 season.
Yet, in those 11 games, Richardson did not do nearly enough to quell concerns for his future as the Colts’ signal-caller. He completed 47.7% of his passes for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He’s a force on the ground, turning 86 carries into 499 yards and six touchdowns.
While Jones’ success this season puts Richardson’s spot on the roster in flux, Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said they had no plans to trade the young quarterback.
Indianapolis Colts’ Insights for Week 13
Team: Indianapolis finishes with six games against teams currently in a playoff spot, including two games against both Houston and Jacksonville.
QB: Daniel Jones’s 71.3 QBi score against the Chiefs was his lowest of the year. It was his third straight week grading outside the top ten after seven out of the first eight games ranked eight or higher.
Offense: The Colts’ 71.6 (C-) OFFi against the Chiefs was the second-lowest score they had this season. Indianapolis still leads the NFL with a 92.1 OFFI for the season.
Defense: The Colts allowed 11 points in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs. It was the second most, only behind 14 in a Week 4 loss to the Rams.
Fantasy: The Daniel Jones season is leaking oil, but he did funnel 48.4% of his targets to his top two pass catchers. Tyler Warren and Michael Pittman were fine weekly plays, but Josh Downs (13 yards on eight targets over his past two games) is trending in the wrong direction at the worst possible time.
