Colts locker room has no doubts about Anthony Richardson: ‘We got his back’

INDIANAPOLIS — Anthony Richardson walked out to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine wearing a skin-tight, long-sleeve red shirt. It was the first time he'd been — quite literally — on an NFL stage.

Fifteen minutes later, after Richardson was done making his claim as to why he should be a top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, there was a seven-second exchange where I thought Richardson had torpedoed his chances of being drafted fourth by the Indianapolis Colts .

The young quarterback had no problem raving about his athletic abilities and his limitless potential, but when asked about his 54.7 completion percentage at Florida, his attitude shifted a little.

"I can definitely get better at delivering the ball and helping my guys out," Richardson said. "But I can't also catch every pass. If I could, I would."

Despite his otherworldly physical tools, that response just sounded like he wasn't ready to lead an NFL locker room of grown men.

But now, more than a year removed from that moment, it's become clear the 20-year-old kid on that stage is far different than the 22-year-old man who's now the face of an NFL franchise . Richardson, no longer needing to sell himself to realize his dream, has settled into being authentically, and sometimes boringly, himself.

. More responsibility. Colts QB, new dad Anthony Richardson embracing it all

He's not a fan of the massive media scrums at his locker every Wednesday, but it's not because he doesn't want to face the music. It's because he thinks it's all a bit performative. He'd rather show his teammates, especially now that the Colts are in an 0-2 hole , who he is and what he's made of rather than talk about it with the world.

His actions are what his teammates respect. If he's doing all of the right things, what he says matters a lot less.

"I guess I show the team that I'm going to still be me regardless of what happened," Richardson said, describing how he's won over the locker room. "We have a big play, of course, I'm going to celebrate. But that's in the past. We gotta keep it pushing. We have a bad play, I have to think about it and recover, but it's still in the past. You've just gotta make it work. Go out there and ball out regardless of what happened. I think (I've) showed that to the squad, and I feel like everybody's rallying behind me."

. That can't happen again

Richardson's assessment is correct, cemented by a slew of his teammates who were quick to have his back this week against the Chicago Bears — even after a shaky start against Green Bay . It does make you wonder, though: Why have they already put so much faith in him? What has he proved to earn their trust?

He's done some things on the field, to be sure. As a rookie, Richardson became the first QB in the Super Bowl era to score a rushing touchdown in his first three games. He also was the youngest player in the Super Bowl era to score a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in October 2023. This year, his return to the field featured a TD throw to Alec Pierce that looked like it scraped the ozone layer before falling into Pierce's hands.

However, Richardson is also 2-4 as a starter in the NFL and winless this season. One week after his moon shot to Pierce, Richardson was picked off three times at Green Bay (once on a last-second Hail Mary). Through two games, he's scored four total touchdowns but committed four turnovers. His completion rate sits at just 49.1%.

Why should someone believe in that?

"Because at the end of the day, just objectively speaking, I'm not sure if you could name a quarterback in this league with more ability than he has. Top to bottom — arm strength, speed, size — so, for us, we know that if he clicks, he'll be one of the best in the league," said special teams ace Grant Stuard , who played with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. "You look at other guys around the league, even if they click, they don't have what he has. Physically, Tom didn't even have that."

-of-season rankings

But it's not just the physical gifts his teammates respect, as tight end Kylen Granson explained. It's the humility with which Richardson carries them, along with his obsession to improve. Granson said that when Richardson is away from the cameras, there's not a day that goes by when his QB isn't picking his brain about a route concept or how best to get him the ball.

Those inquiries don't stop on offense. Second-year cornerback Jaylon Jones noted that Richardson is often bugging him and other defensive backs about schemes and coverages to better understand how to maximize every snap.

"He never runs out of questions. He's always trying to get every little nugget," Jones said. "And then I'll see him go over and talk to (fellow quarterbacks) Joe (Flacco) and Sam (Ehlinger), asking them what they see because they've seen a lot more than him. He's just a guy who's trying to be better in all aspects. You can't do nothing but love a guy like that."

Linebacker Zaire Franklin has repeatedly stated that he'll "go to war" for Richardson.

The first time he felt that way, Franklin remembered, was against the Los Angeles Rams last season, when Richardson refused to concede a game in which the Colts trailed 23-0, so he scored three second-half TDs to force overtime. But the day Franklin became sold on his QB wasn't during a game. It was this offseason, after Richardson had resumed team activities following shoulder surgery, and Franklin got under his skin.

"( Michael Pittman Jr. ) had got banged up, so he wasn't practicing, and the offense wasn't clicking," Franklin said. "I just started going at him. 'Y'all boys ain't ready. Y'all don't want these problems.' And then he was like, 'What?' So, then he just took over and starting dicing s— up, and I'm like, 'Damn, that's the type of s— I can rock with.' That's not to say he's sensitive. It's that he cares."

Colts center Ryan Kelly echoed that perspective, commending Richardson for refusing to "tank it" in the second half at Green Bay. Richardson led Indianapolis on a late touchdown drive to make it a one-score game when it seemed like the team could do nothing right for the first 58 minutes of the matchup.

Following that Packers game, perhaps the worst start of Richardson's career, All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson drove home how his team feels about its quarterback — right after I asked him about having to "pick up" Richardson following his poor performance.

"He doesn't need to be picked up or anything," Nelson said in the bowels of Lambeau Field. "He's a grown man and f—, he's the leader of our team. I'm not picking him up. I just have his back. We all have full confidence in him, and brighter days are ahead."

When Richardson heard what Nelson said, the Colts QB simply cracked a wry smile.

"That just lets me know I ain't been bull—–ing them," Richardson said. "They know I'm gonna do my best to do my job, and if I'm not, they have my back enough to let me know."

(Photo: Patrick McDermott / )