Colts QB Anthony Richardson will be good to go for training camp after shoulder ailment

Twelve years ago, when the Indianapolis Colts won the “Suck for Luck” campaign, the team drafted Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who was one of the most polished prospects to ever enter the league. Indianapolis expected to have a franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future, but Luck’s sudden retirement in 2016 sent the franchise into a tailspin.

The Colts selected quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with hopes of putting an end to their quarterback carousel. After years of hunting for discarded veterans and hidden gems, Indianapolis believed Richardson would finally bring stability to their storied franchise.

Richardson hit the ground running in Colts head coach Shane Steichen’s scheme. He began his rookie season completing 50 of 84 passes for 577 yards, the passing touchdowns, and one interception. On the ground, he added 136 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 25 carries. Then, his season was cut short by a season-ending shoulder injury.

Colts expect Anthony Richardson to be ready for training camp

The Colts feel confident in Richardson’s health and expect him to be “full go” for training camp, according to ESPN. 

Richardson returned to the practice field for organized team activities seven months after suffering the injury, but he was sidelined with shoulder soreness during mandatory minicamp earlier this month.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard wasn’t concerned with the soreness during an appearance on “The GM Shuffle” podcast.

"He'll be full go," Ballard said. "He was full go all the way up until the last day of OTAs, and we had two heavy throwing sessions the two days before, and so we backed off a little on the last day."

Richardson suffered the season-ending injury in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans. Near the end of the first half, Richardson kept the ball on a shotgun zone-read play. He likely should've handed it off since the offensive line got a good push, but he tried to run wide around Titans linebacker Harold Landry. Ultimately, Richardson was chased down by Landry, who hit Richardson's left side and drove him down. The rookie quarterback fell onto his right shoulder and suffered a Grade 3 AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder.

In his four games, Richardson suffered a concussion, missed one game, and then hurt his shoulder. It's tough to survive through the entirety of a season and have an extended career with that type of playing style. The Colts are familiar with injuries hampering a promising quarterback's career — just look at Andrew Luck.