Colts’ Anthony Richardson sidelined with shoulder injury ahead of QB battle

Anthony Richardson heads into his third season with a real quarterback battle, but his pursuit to win the starting job for the 2025 season will be harder after suffering an injury. 

Richardson is dealing with a shoulder injury in his throwing arm, and he won’t be participating in the Colts’ minicamp next week, per head coach Shane Steichen. 

Steichen added that Richardson suffered the injury last week during organized team activities. 

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“Doctors, trainers checked it out,” Steichen said, per NFL.com. “He’s got some aggravation in his AC joint. So, we’re going to sit him out this week. Obviously, he’ll sit out for minicamp. We’ll see when he comes back. Not going to put a timetable for training camp on it, but when he does come back, we’ll ease him into throwing, and then we’ll go from there. The good thing is he’s not going to need a procedure right now.”

While Steichen noted the injury not being serious enough for surgery, a procedure wasn’t ruled out down the line. 

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Richardson has dealt with numerous injuries in his first two NFL seasons, which included a season-ending shoulder injury after four games in his rookie year. An oblique injury in 2024 kept him out two games. 

Richardson, the team’s fourth overall pick in 2023 out of Florida, struggled in his return to the Colts last year, throwing for just 1,814 yards in 11 games with a 47.7% completion rate. 

Steichen made the move to bench Richardson last season as he struggled, with backup Joe Flacco replacing him under center. 

This year, the Colts brought in Daniel Jones, who the New York Giants cut ties with midway through the 2024 campaign due to his own struggles, to compete with Richardson in training camp. 

While Jones didn’t pan out under his four-year extension in New York, he does have years of starting in the NFL under his belt. His addition to the quarterbacks room led many to believe Richardson’s job wasn’t safe. 

Richardson now has to battle another injury before battling Jones.

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“It’s frustrating, but he is in good spirits,” Steichen said of Richardson. “So we’re working through it right now.”

With Richardson sidelined, Jones will be getting the lion’s share of minicamp reps.

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