National Football League

Colts will start rookie QB Anthony Richardson in preseason opener at Buffalo

Published Aug. 10, 2023 2:14 p.m. ET

The Indianapolis Colts will start rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson in Saturday's preseason opener at Buffalo, head coach Shane Steichen announced Thursday.

Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been working primarily with the starters over the past week and has shown glimpses of the raw talent that intrigued the team.

Because Richardson only started one college football season at Florida, it was unclear how quickly the Colts would push the 21-year-old into action.

Richardson has been battling veteran Gardner Minshew for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart, but Steichen already knows what Minshew can do since both worked together in Philadelphia each of the past two seasons. Steichen said he wants to see what Richardson can do with the Colts' starters on game day.

"I'm excited to get to work," Richardson said in April. "When I got that call, you know, it just hit me. This is where it starts. This is where the journey begins. … I'm ready to start my routine and get it going, so I can bring a Super Bowl home."

Richardson boasts a 54.7% career completion percentage in 13 games with the Gators — one game as a redshirt freshman in 2021 and 12 games as a sophomore in 2022. In 2022, the dual-threat quarterback threw for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions through the air, while rushing for 654 yards and nine scores.

The Colts haven't made it to the postseason since 2020, when they lost in the wild-card round. Indianapolis finished this past season 4-12-1 behind three different starters: Matt Ryan (12 games), Ehlinger (three games) and Foles (two games).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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