Anthony Richardson Rumors: 'A Lot of Teams' Believe QB Will Be Colts' Week 1 Starter

Multiple NFL teams reportedly believe the Indianapolis Colts plan to start rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL regular season.

Appearing Saturday on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler said:

"I'm told Indy has gotten to work with Anthony Richardson in a hurry, trying to get that install going because the pleasantries are over. ... They've done their homework. Now they want to get him ready to play because a lot of teams I've talked to believe that he'll be possibly the Week 1 starter."

Richardson was the third quarterback off the board in last week's draft, as the Colts selected the University of Florida product fourth overall behind Alabama's Bryce Young, who went to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1, and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, who went to the Houston Texans at No. 2.

Entering the draft, the Colts were clearly among the most quarterback-needy teams in the league, as they have cycled through veteran signal-callers on a yearly basis.

They have had a different leading passer in each of the past five seasons, starting with Andrew Luck, who shockingly retired before the 2019 campaign. Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan all then received one-year auditions as Indy's starter.

After Ryan struggled last season and the Colts finished just 4-12-1, they set their sights on a quarterback in the first round, and the supremely talented, athletic Richardson was available.

While he started for only one year in college, he showed flashes of brilliance, particularly as a runner, rushing for 654 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.

He also passed for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but the major concern is that he completed just 53.8 percent of his passes.

That suggests Richardson has a lot of developing to do before being ready to start, but he perhaps has the perfect person to teach him in new head coach Shane Steichen.

As the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator, Steichen helped dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts grow into one of the best players in the game, as he finished second in the NFL MVP voting last season and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance.

In the 6'4", 232-pound Richardson, Steichen has a quarterback who is much bigger than Hurts (6'1", 223 lbs), has a stronger arm and is arguably even more athletic, as he posted one of the best 40-yard dash times ever by a quarterback at the NFL Scouting Combine (4.43 seconds), and set quarterback records in the vertical (40.5") and broad jumps (10'9").

The only thing standing between Richardson and the starting job in Week 1 is veteran journeyman Gardner Minshew, who has starting experience and played under Steichen in Philly.

If Steichen does not believe Richardson is ready to play in Week 1, Minshew is a safe fallback option who can play solid football and keep the team in games.

Richardson is undoubtedly the quarterback of the future, though, and more often than not, NFL teams look to press their highly drafted rookie quarterbacks into action as quickly as possible these days.