Chris Ballard: We need to give Anthony Richardson every chance to be the best he can be

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is healthy to begin training camp after aggravating his surgically-repaired right shoulder during the offseason program.

That’s good news for Richardson, who is competing with Daniel Jones to be Indianapolis’ starting quarterback.

While there have been some flashes of Richardson’s talent in his first two seasons, there have also been plenty of struggles. He finished last season with a 48 percent completion rate, throwing for 1,814 yards with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 games. He also rushed for 499 yards and six TDs.

As the Colts begin training camp, General Manager Chris Ballard is still preaching patience when it comes to the young QB, particularly when asked if it’s a make-or-break year for the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft.

“Do you think people regret Baker Mayfield’s timeline? Sam Darnold’s timeline?” Ballard said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN, referencing a pair of former first-round quarterbacks who have now found success on different teams. “Sometimes you’ve got to have a little patience with a guy and let them grow through things.

“If you think, ‘Hey, he’s on the right trajectory,’ why are you going to flush it just because people outside think you should flush it? I don’t agree with that. I think we need to give Anthony every chance to be the best he can be.”

Ballard also noted that Richardson has come through in pressure situations before — like a second-half comeback against the Rams in 2023 (a game the team ultimately lost), plus performances in victories over the Jets and Titans in 2024.

“There’s been some signs in pressure moments that he can get things done,” Ballard said, via JJ Stankevitz of the Colts’ website. “Now we just gotta be able to do it all the time.”

But the issue for Richardson is that the Colts will have to decide whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option after the season. In that way, it absolutely is a make-or-break season for the third-year quarterback.

Plus, with principal ownership of the Colts now passed down to Carlie Irsay-Gordon, it could be a make-or-break year for Ballard, too. Indianapolis has not made the playoffs since 2020 and has not won a postseason game since 2018 — the last year Andrew Luck served as the team’s starting quarterback.