Anthony Richardson's rookie year ended a lot earlier than he, the Colts and their fans had hoped. The No. 4 overall pick suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that in October, and Indianapolis' quarterback is now providing a positive update to his recovery a little over two months later.
"I think I'm progressing way faster than everyone thought," he said on Tuesday during an event at Riley's Children's, via CBS4 in Indianapolis. Richardson, suffered a Grade 3 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder in Week 5 against the Titans, was originally told he could begin throwing again 16 weeks after surgery, and his goal is to beat that timeline.
He underwent surgery eight weeks ago, on Oct. 24, so he still has a ways to go, but right now things do look good for the 21-year-old. His plan is to get back to throwing in some capacity next month.
"They said 16 weeks after the surgery, but hopefully, I'm trying to push to get [back] before that," Richardson said. "But we'll see. Hopefully, I can throw next month, but if not, whenever that time does come, I know I'm gonna rip it."
Richardson admitted that at first, he did not want to have the surgery, but knew it was the right decision moving forward.
"I wanted to play and I wanted to be there for my team, but this was probably the best thing for me and my future and for the team. It allows me to come back healthy, 100 percent," he said.
The Colts are hoping Richardson is the quarterback of the future for their team and should get their first-round pick back for next season, unless there is a major change in the recovery. Richardson's first year in the league was plagued by injuries. Before he was sidelined due to the shoulder injury, he was unable to finish out the game in Week 1 due to knee soreness, and then suffered a concussion in Week 2, which forced him to miss Week 3.
The Colts didn't get to see what Richardson could do in the NFL for very long, but what they did see should give them some hope for next season and beyond. He went 50 of 84 for 577 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interceptions. Richardson showed that he can use his legs as well, rushing for 136 yards with four touchdowns on the ground.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew has taken over as QB in Richardson's place and helped put the Colts in the playoff picture. They are currently 8-6 and in second place in the AFC South behind the 8-6 Jacksonville Jaguars in a tight race for the divisional title.
Indy would make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed if the season ended today.
Their final three games are against the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans.
