Colts' Steichen: Richardson's injury unfortunate, but will make him stronger

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson lost crucial development time after sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5, but head coach Shane Steichen believes it will ultimately benefit the rookie.

"Obviously, he got a chance to sit back, watch, and learn," Steichen said on Monday, according to Pro Football Talk's Myles Simmons. "I had some good meetings with him throughout the season, just individually me and him, sitting down talking football. Really just seeing the NFL season as a whole.

"Obviously, would've loved to have him out there for the season to learn that way but there's always reasons in life I think, why things happen. I think what happened to him was unfortunate but I think it's going to make him stronger at the end."

Richardson flashed significant potential during his four appearances in 2023, throwing for 577 yards and three touchdowns against one interception while racking up 136 yards and four scores on the ground. He also missed one game with a concussion.

Despite losing the former No. 4 pick, the Colts stayed in the playoff hunt right until the end of the season, losing to the Houston Texans in a win-or-go-home game on Saturday to finish 9-8.

With Richardson expected to be back at full strength in 2024-25, Steichen is excited to see the young passer put his mental improvements into action.

"Just talking with him individually going through different stuff. Just football 101 stuff - coverages and fronts and going through what do we like versus this look and all that," Steichen said. "He was soaking it in, and he was wired in all year obviously doing his rehab. Looking forward to his future next year."