With Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season upon us, The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz put together his quarterback rankings for the upcoming year. So where did Ruiz have the Colts’ Anthony Richardson landing?
Out of the 32 projected starting quarterbacks for Week 1, Richardson came in at No. 21 on Ruiz’s list. At No. 20 was rookie Caleb Williams and at No. 22 was Baker Mayfield.
Ruiz notes that Richardson’s accuracy as a passer, which includes consistently knowing when to put some touch on his passes, does need to improve. He also adds that there “aren’t a lot of major obstacles to his development,” noting that there is more depth to Richardson’s game than what he gets credit for.
“Richardson should be able to fill in any gaps in his passing game with more reps, but that will take time,” wrote Ruiz. “If he’s going to climb up this list in the short term, he’ll have to cut down on the wild misses and prove that he can remain a run threat while protecting his body.”
With only 98 career dropbacks, Richardson is going to still be navigating the learning curve that most inexperienced quarterbacks have to go through.
We saw this unfold in the Colts’ preseason finale against Cincinnati, where on the opening series, Richardson led a near flawless scoring drive down the field. On the next few possessions, however, inaccurate passes and miscommunications were prevalent.
With the rare combination of size, athleticism, and arm talent that Richardson possesses, his ceiling is sky high. But when it comes to unlocking that potential, he doesn’t have to do it all on his own either.
Richardson will be playing behind what should be a top tier offensive line unit. He’ll be sharing the backfield with Jonathan Taylor. And at receiver is the explosive AD Mitchell, the uber-reliable Michael Pittman, along with Josh Downs and Alec Pierce, both of whom appear poised to make leaps this season.
There is also something to be said for the continuity and familiarity of being in Shane Steichen’s offense for a second season as well.
“We liked all the stuff we saw, but he’s still got to go prove it over the course of time, like any player does,” said GM Chris Ballard before training camp. “You can be a flash, but he’s still got to prove it over the course of time. But we think we got a good football team around him where he doesn’t necessarily have to carry us.”
The Ringer will update these quarterback rankings weekly as the season unfolds. How high will Richardson end up climbing?