INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson returned to practice Thursday, marking the first time in two months the former starter has taken snaps with the team.
He’s still not ready to challenge 44-year-old Philip Rivers for the starting job.
Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen said Richardson’s fractured orbital bone has healed sufficiently enough for him to be cleared for practice but that the 23-year-old would not be activated before Monday night’s crucial game against the San Francisco 49ers, who are on a four-game winning streak.
It’s still unclear whether Richardson will be activated before the end of this season.
“He has some vision limitations in his eye, but we’re going to get him back on the practice field, get him throwing, doing some scout team,” Steichen said. “So it’s something that he’s going to have to manage.”
Steichen said earlier this week that the Colts didn’t sign Rivers to sit on the bench.
Richardson has been on injured reserve since mid-October when he was injured in a freak locker room accident while stretching with a band as part of his pregame warmup routine. The Colts (8-6) now have 21 days to activate Richardson or to shut him down for the rest of the season.
The Colts took Richardson with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft because of the former Florida Gators star’s tantalizing size (6-foot-4, 244 pounds), arm strength and mobility.
However, injuries have limited Richardson to just 15 starts and 17 total appearances out of 48 possible games. He made only four starts as a rookie before needing season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder, missed six games in 2024 with back and hip injuries, then dislocated his pinkie during a preseason game this year before losing the quarterback battle to Daniel Jones.
Richardson hasn’t just struggled to stay on the field.
He has also had trouble with accuracy as his completion percentage of 47.7% in 2024 was the lowest of any starter in the league. And in three seasons with the Colts, he has compiled an 8-7 record as a starter, along with a completion percentage of 50.6% with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
That’s why he is so eager for a fresh start — even if it doesn’t come till next season.
“I feel normal, able to see, able to drive, walk around, not bump into anything so I feel normal,” said Richardson, who plans to continue wearing a visor underneath his face mask. “Sitting at home, it’s not fun. It’s really boring not being in the building as much when it first happened, not being around my teammates, not being able to go to the stadium and all that was really boring. But I thank God for being able to go out there and practice.”
Still, Rivers will continue to start after coming out of retirement last week after Jones sustained a season-ending Achilles tendon tear and rookie backup quarterback Riley Leonard arrived at the team complex with an injured right knee.
Rivers joined the franchise’s practice squad on Dec. 9, and five days later was taking his first snaps in an NFL game in nearly five years. He nearly led the Colts to a comeback victory on the road, but the Seattle Seahawks kicked a late field goal to hand Indianapolis its fourth consecutive loss, 18-16.
Rivers said Thursday he feels much more comfortable after having a full week to prepare for the 49ers (10-4).
“Really trying to dive into San Francisco and take advantage of the extra day, get into a normal game week,” said Rivers, who had been a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist for the class of 2024 until being activated by the Colts took him out of contention per rules for consideration for the shrine in Canton, Ohio.
“Last week was a normal game week,” Rivers said, “but not really because it was all ramped up, pretty fast. This has felt like more of a normal game week, where we’re able to get started on Monday and Tuesday, so it’s felt somewhat routine from a standpoint of the daily operation.”
Indianapolis needs Rivers — and the rest of the team — to play well down the stretch as it tries to end a four-year drought without a playoff berth. The Colts, who are part of the AFC South Division, face three strong defenses and three teams fighting to make the playoffs: the NFC West’s 49ers (10-4), the two-time reigning AFC South champion Houston Texans (9-5) and the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4).
The Colts have lost five of their past six games, sliding out of the division lead and into the AFC No. 8 seed, which would leave them one spot short of making the conference’s seven-team field for the NFL postseason.