Anthony Richardson is “day-to-day” after suffering a dislocated finger in Thursday’s preseason game, Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen told reporters. Richardson suffered the injury when he was sacked in the first quarter.
Richardson dropped back on second down with 7:34 to go in the first quarter when David Ojabo went untouched on his way toward the pocket. The Ravens pass-rusher laid a huge hit on Richardson, who immediately headed toward the sideline favoring his arm. Daniel Jones then took over at QB.
Steichen said Richardson dislocated his pinky on the play, but later popped it back into place. The former Florida star also said he’ll “be good” and was able to “spin it a little bit” on the sideline. He added he also has to see the rusher on what he called a “tricky” play.
Richardson and Jones are currently battling for the Colts’ starting quarterback job. The expectation was both would play in Thursday’s game, but Jones had to enter a little earlier than planned. Richardson was due to play the first quarter and part of the second.
Jones completed 10 of 21 passes for 144 yards in the first half while getting sacked one time. Rookie Riley Leonard then took over for the second half, going 12-for-24 for 92 yards while adding 34 rushing yards. He also threw an interception.
ESPN: Colts QB competition ‘neck and neck’
When the Colts released their initial depth chart this week ahead of the preseason opener, they listed Daniel Jones OR Anthony Richardson as QB1. The battle continues to determine who the Week 1 starter will be, and the depth chart reflects an update from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler last week about where things stand.
“Colts head coach Shane Steichen told me that the battle between Jones and Richardson is neck and neck,” Fowler said on Get Up. “He’s not going to call it for a while. He’s got a joint practice coming up, he’s got two preseason games, so he’s going to let this play out. But you saw Richardson earlier. He is a player who has been humbled. He told me, ‘Look, I had to pick up the slack last year. I didn’t, and that’s essentially why I got benched.’
“So he tweaked some things this offseason, tweaked some mechanics with his base so he can stop sailing throws. The Colts know that the immense potential ability is there. They need to see more from a leadership standpoint, but they have seen it early on. Shane Steichen told me that, yes, he absolutely can be that, he just has to keep doing it every day.”
