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Anthony Richardson's rookie campaign with the Indianapolis Colts was somewhat encouraging, despite the fact he only played in four games before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Heading into the 2024 season, it's reasonable to expect Richardson to take a step forward, assuming he can stay on the field this time around.
Richardson is recovering from surgery on his shoulder that he underwent back in October, and while he's had ample time to recover, he still is working his way back to full health. Case in point, Richardson didn't throw at all during the Colts practice on Thursday, and while that may seem to be a bit concerning, according to the second-year passer, it's just standard operating procedure for him right now.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson: “I’m good. Just a little soreness.”
No MRI, nothing beyond ice treatment. This was expected, he said, and it’s the only day he’s been held out since his return to the lineup this spring. pic.twitter.com/vgnLByIUsY
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) June 6, 2024
Anthony Richardson looking to make triumphant return for Colts
Anytime Richardson deals with any sort of pain in his shoulder, fans are going to be concerned, but that's what happens when you miss pretty much all of your rookie campaign with a serious injury. The good news, though, is that it's still June, meaning that Richardson missing a practice right now isn't something that is outrageously worrying.
That sentiment was shared by his head coach in Shane Steichen shortly after the practice as well. While Steichen admitted that Richardson was dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder, he did say that if there was a game today, it wouldn't have been something that prevented him from suiting up, which is another indication that this precaution is nothing worth losing sleep over.
Via Stephen Holder:
“Colts HC Shane Steichen says Anthony Richardson had ‘some soreness' in his shoulder and didn’t throw today as a result. Insisted ‘he’s fine' and added ‘rest assured, he’d be playing Sunday if we had a game.'”
While it was a brief debut for him, Richardson showed what he's capable of during his time on the field for the Colts in 2023 (50/84, 577 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT, 25 CAR, 136 YDS, 4 TD). Richardson has a cannon for an arm, while also being physically imposing as a runner on the ground, making him one of the brightest dual-threat quarterbacks in the league.
Indy would obviously rather have Richardson out on the field as much as possible, but there's no sense in rushing him onto the field for a relatively meaningless practice in June. As long as Richardson can suit up for Week 1 of the upcoming campaign, that's all that the team and their fans are going to care about. Richardson's health is obviously going to bear watching over the rest of the summer, but as of right now, both he and Steichen are in agreement that his current soreness is nothing to be concerned about.
