INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts will be without Anthony Richardson for at least a month, the team announced Wednesday.
The Colts placed their rookie starting quarterback on the injured reserve list after he sustained a grade 3 sprain to the AC joint in his right shoulder during Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans.
That means Richardson must miss at least four games before returning. The earliest he can return is the Nov. 11 game against New England in Germany.
The Colts have their bye week after the Patriots game, so it’s possible they hold him out until the Nov. 26 game against Tampa Bay at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In corresponding roster moves, the Colts added quarterback Kellen Mond to the practice squad Tuesday and signed guard Ike Boettger to the 53-man roster. In addition, the team signed wide receiver Anthony Miller to the practice squad and waived receiver Juwann Winfree.
Monday, Shane Steichen said Richardson “will miss some time” and added the team still was evaluating its options. After an MRI, Richardson sought a second opinion from shoulder specialist Dr. Keith Meister.
The decision: IR.
Sunday marked the third time Richardson has failed to finish a game he’s started because of injury. He missed the Week 3 game at Baltimore with a concussion.
Richardson suffered a bruised left knee and sore ankle in the opening loss to Jacksonville, then sustained a concussion in the first quarter at Houston.
Against the Titans, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft sprained his AC joint on a designed quarterback run in the second quarter. At the end of a 4-yard run, Richardson was taken down by linebacker Harold Landry, and the 252-pound linebacker fell on Richardson.
Steichen has addressed the balance the team faces in maximizing Richardson’s threat as a runner with the injury factor. He noted Richardson ran a similar play against the Rams and “he popped a big one.
“Then obviously this week he got the shoulder on that play. That’s stuff that you’ve got to look at, be smart with, and it’s part of the game and you don’t want it to happen for sure.”
Steichen also is aware the toll the injuries can have on a rookie.
“You’ve got to fight through those things, and that’s part of the league,” he said. “You’ve got to have the conversations that will build you stronger.
“Sometimes in life with any type of deal, you get nicked up, like ‘Why does this happen to me?’ You’ve got to think about the positive and think that obviously something good is going to come out of it in the end.”
While Richardson heals, Gardner Minshew II will step in.
After five games and while seeing extensive action, Minshew has completed 57-of-83 passes (68.7%) for 553 yards and two touchdowns.
The Colts are off to a 3-2 start and are tied with Jacksonville for the AFC South lead. They face the Jaguars in Jacksonville Sunday.
Comments are closed.