Every year, the NFL leaves the combine in Indianapolis in a different spot from which it entered.
This offseason, the story lines are of potential quarterback movement, defense dominating the upcoming draft and a free-agent class that could get overpaid due to a lackluster rookie crop combined with an unexpected bulge in the NFL salary cap.
While we’ve detailed much of what happened this week with our Tuesday and Wednesday notebooks, here are a few other items that deserve a conversation.
Colts having open competition with Anthony Richardson at QB?
On Tuesday, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard made waves announcing the quarterback job would be open for business in Indy this summer.
While Richardson still has the upper hand, he no longer has a firm hold. And he shouldn’t. Richardson has either been hurt or ineffective through his first two seasons, starting just 15 games and completing 50.6% of his attempts with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Although some top picks have struggled early in their careers and then gotten going, it’s rare.
To that end, Ballard will need to find legitimate competition. Last year, Joe Flacco backed up Richardson, starting six games, but played poorly. This offseason, there are a host of veteran quarterbacks on the market, but none that are going to move the proverbial needle.
For Ballard, does that mean a mid-round pick on a quarterback? Does it mean trying to lure someone in free agency such as Justin Fields, who has youth and athleticism on his side?
If there’s good news for the Colts out of all this, it’s the background of coach Shane Steichen, who helped develop Justin Herbert into a star and Jalen Hurts into an All-Pro while serving as an assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles before taking the head job in Indianapolis.
Maybe Steichen still believes he can fix Richardson. Or, maybe Steichen knows it’s time to move forward, and bringing in another young talent to mold is what the Colts need to get right.
