Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will start in Week 1 when the team takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars to begin the 2023 season.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen made the announcement Tuesday. Veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II will likely be the backup for Richardson.
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Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 draft, took a few reps in the team’s first preseason game on Saturday. He was 7-of-12 for 67 yards with an interception but made a handful of great passes. It appeared to be enough for the Colts to give him the nod over Minshew.
“It’s a good learning experience,” Steichen said of Richardson after the game. “He bounced back. It was the first drive of the game, we get the pick there. And he comes back and we start moving the ball pretty good. He threw some nice touch passes. Good calm, had some good things, command in the huddle, all those good things.”
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Minshew was 6-of-6 for 72 yards in that game. The Buffalo Bills defeated the Colts 23-19.
Richardson and Minshew came into the training camp as the front-runners to start at the beginning of the season. Sam Ehlinger also appeared to be in the running. He has played in seven games for the Colts since 2021 and has 573 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Richardson was a standout quarterback at Florida before turning pro. In his final season with the Gators, he passes for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Indianapolis has gone with a slew of veteran quarterbacks to start the last few seasons since the retirement of Andrew Luck. It appears they have finally found the quarterback they can build around for the future.
