Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will be out at least four weeks but could be sidelined for as many as eight. Richardson, who was officially placed on injured reserve Wednesday, suffered an AC joint sprain over the weekend. The four-to-eight-game window will be dependent on rehab and whether surgery is required. Gardner Mishew will take over as the starting quarterback while Richardson recovers. If Richardson is only out four games, he would return for the Colts' game against the Patriots in Frankfurt, Germany. If he is out eight weeks, he would be back for the Colts' week 14 road game against the Bengals.
It's the third injury that Richardson has suffered during the season. He was pulled near the end of week 1's matchup against the Jags. He was also pulled from a game against the Texans for a concussion that ruled him out of the following week's game as well. "It gets tough when a guy gets dinged up, and he's been dinged up. He's obviously a very, very talented player and it's tough. But we have a lot of faith in Gardner to step in and go operate the way he's been doing," head coach Shane Steichen said earlier this week.
Mixed Season For The Much-Debated Richardson
Richardson was of course one of the most-debated players in the NFL draft. He had a fantastic combine outing and was credited with having the biggest upside of the first-round quarterbacks. However, his lack of college experience, and his underwhelming college highlight reel, left doubts in the minds of many. Despite this, the Colts liked what they saw and took Richardson fourth overall. Richardson has 544 passing yards and 136 rushing yards through four games played this season. Despite the poor stats on paper, the Colts are 3-2.
However, how much can Richardson really be blamed? After all, he has been without his primary offensive weapon - Jonathan Taylor. Furthermore, he has also taken 7 sacks this season as the Colts' O-Line continues to struggle to play a consistent full game. Now Colts fans will have to wait to see just how much of the season they will have to play without their franchise QB of the future under center.
[via]
