First rookie QB named starter: Why Colts named Anthony Richardson starter, status of Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud
Anthony Richardson was named the Colts starting quarterback after his first preseason, game making him the first rookie QB to be named a starter this year.
Things are about as unsettled as they can be in Indianapolis right now. They are coming off a painfully underwhelming season. Management and the star running back are at odds, with a holdout looming on the horizon and they have a rookie head coach who has hoped aboard and will be in charge of righting the ship during his debut season.
Richardson named QB1
One thing that has been cleared up is their QB situation. Rookie Anthony Richardson was named the starter for Week 1 after just a quarter of sample size in his first preseason game. For the moment, the other rookies will have to wait a little while longer for their names to be slotted in the QB1 position on the depth chart.
Richardson was taken by the Colts with the fourth pick of the NFL Draft, a decision that left a lot of people scratching their heads. Indy has been looking for stability at the QB position since the early retirement of Andrew Luck, and they will be hoping that Richardson can provide that security for the years to come.
Of the top three QBs selected in the first four picks of the Draft, Richardson seemed like the least likely to be named a starter from Week 1. His stats in college were good, but not great. He completed 54% of his passes, passing for just 2,549 yards while throwing 17 TDs and 9 INTs in 12 games.
Richardson’s resumè
The former Gator got his first bit of NFL action over the weekend, throwing an interception on his third pass of the game. He ended the night 7/12 for 67 yards and a pick, which was apparently all that Shane Steichen and the Colts needed to see to name him the starter.
Indy is in a serious transition phase at the moment and they need any sort of spark that will get fans about this upcoming season, and it seems like they are looking for that spark with the rookie QB.
Stroud wants to put debut in rearview
C.J. Stroud is in a similar situation that Richardson is in in Indy rookie QB. He is first year player who holds the hope of the future of the franchise on his shoulders, and it will be a rookie head coach making the decision on when he gets the nod as the Houston Texans starter.
Like Richardson, he threw a pick on his opening drive in the NFL, and spent most of his shift wiping dirt off his jersey while being in constant pressure. He ended the night 2/4 for just 13 yards and so far no word has come on who the starter will be once Week 1 comes rolling around in Houston.
Young may have to wait
Bryce Young was the best QB in college last year, and for that reason he was taken first overall by the Carolina Panthers. He, however, doesn’t have a rookie head coach, and while the Panthers maybe desperate for change in Carolina, Frank Reich may not be as antsy to pull the trigger on Young in the early going.
The top overall draft pick was 4/6 for 21 yards in the two series he played against the New York Jets. There is much room for improvement, but more importantly there are two preseason games to be played before Reich has to decide who to name his starting QB.
It’s not usual that a rookie is named the Week 1 starter, and even more rare that said rookie is named after just one preseason game. Urgency is starting to show in Indy, and while Richardson may be thrilled to be the starter and even “shocked” as he put it, we will have to see if he and the Colts are feeling the same way once Week 3 or 4 comes around.