Anthony Richardson to Participate in 1st Colts Training Camp Practice After Injury

Despite dealing with a shoulder injury this offseason, quarterback Anthony Richardson will be good to go for the start of Indianapolis Colts training camp.

According to Larra Overton of the team's official website, Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that Richardson will participate in the Colts' first training camp practice on Wednesday.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters last month that Richardson aggravated a right shoulder joint injury he suffered as a rookie in 2023, but ESPN's Stephen Holder reported last week that it was believed Richardson had recovered from the issue.

Originally selected fourth overall by the Colts in the 2023 NFL draft, Richardson did little over his first two NFL seasons to firmly establish himself as the unquestioned franchise quarterback.

Richardson showed some flashes as a rookie, but he was limited to only four games due primarily to the shoulder ailment.

While expectations were high for Richardson entering last season, he largely struggled as a passer, completing just 47.7 percent of his passing attempts for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Richardson did plenty of damage as a runner, though, rushing for 499 yards and six touchdowns, which helped him post a winning record as a starter at 6-5.

While Richardson won back the starting job, he was temporarily supplanted as the starter by the 40-year-old Joe Flacco last season, which perhaps speaks to Steichen's frustration with Richardson's struggles.

Flacco signed with the Cleveland Browns in free agency, but the Colts brought in some new competition for Richardson in the form of Daniel Jones.

Jones spent parts of six seasons as the New York Giants' starting quarterback after they took him sixth overall in the 2019 NFL draft.

He compiled a less-than-impressive record of 24-44-1, but Jones did lead the Giants to a 9-7-1 record, a playoff berth and a playoff win in 2022.

While the Giants rewarded Jones with a four-year, $160 million contract extension after that, he would only start 16 more games for the G-Men over the next two seasons due to a combination of injuries and poor play.

Coming off a torn ACL, Jones made 10 starts for the Giants last season, going 2-8, and completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,070 yards, eight touchdowns by seven picks.

Jones was moved down the depth chart behind both Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito before getting waived and picked up by the Minnesota Vikings, who utilized him as a backup the rest of the way.

Although Jones has been around longer than Richardson, there are some similarities between them in terms of the trials and tribulations they have gone through as NFL quarterbacks, which perhaps makes them the ideal choices to compete with each other.

Richardson and Jones will get their first opportunity to impress on Aug. 7 when the Colts open their preseason slate on the road against the Baltimore Ravens. Indianapolis' regular-season opener is at home against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 7.