The Colts are ready to lean on backup QB Gardner Minshew amid Richardson injury
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts placed rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson on injured reserve on Wednesday, forcing him to miss at least the next four games with an AC sprain in his right shoulder.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that the team is still evaluating Richardson’s situation, and wouldn’t rule out surgery or the potential of him sitting out the rest of the season.
For most teams, a major injury to an electric rookie quarterback would sink the season.
Steichen and the Colts, however, have full confidence in backup quarterback Gardner Minshew as they sit tied atop the AFC South.
“He has played a good amount of football in this league,” Steichen said. “In the Baltimore game, he started and came in against Houston, he’s played at a high level.”
Minshew was signed by the Colts in March after he spent two years as a backup quarterback in Philadelphia and two years in Jacksonville to start his career.
His offensive coordinator last season was, of course, Shane Steichen.
Steichen told WISH-TV Sports Director Anthony Calhoun that he and the rest of the team have no doubt that he can lead the team.
“When you’ve got a guy like Gardner, a veteran guy that’s done it at a high level,” Steichen started. “It definitely eases that [stress]. The guys, the team, the coaches have confidence in him performing at a high level.”
This season, Minshew started in the win against Baltimore and played in relief of Richardson in the win over Houston and last Sunday’s win over Tennessee.
The fifth-year man out of Washington State has thrown for 553 yards this season, throwing 2 touchdowns and protecting the ball admirably.
While those stats might not jump off the page, Minshew has done a great job moving the offense up and down the field.
“He is just a guy that’s passionate about football,” Steichen said. “He’s a football junkie that loves ball and wants to be great… he’s like a coach on the field.”
The Colts have a road trip to Jacksonville on tap, taking on the Jaguars at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
At 11 a.m., you can watch Indy’s only hour-long Colts pregame show on WISH-TV. The Emmy Award-winning ‘Countdown to Kickoff‘ brings Colts experts on with Anthony Calhoun and the WISH-TV Sports Team for an in-depth preview of the game ahead.
Analysts include former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, former players Ken Dilger and Marlin Jackson, as well as 93.5/107.5 The Fan’s Kevin Bowen, who hosts the sports radio talk show “The Wake Up Call” on weekday mornings.
WISH-TV will also host a postgame show immediately following the conclusion of the game.
Related coverage
- Colts place Anthony Richardson on Injured Reserve
- Colts Insider talks Richardson’s injury and what it means for the team
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