Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson made his long-awaited return to the starting lineup on Sunday.
Richardson had not played in a game since October 8, 2023 before taking the field against the Broncos for this summer’s first preseason game and he took seven snaps over two possessions. Richardson went 2-of-4 for 25 yards and ran once for one yard, but the production was of less significance than just being back on the field after such a long layoff.
“Throughout this whole process, I’ve been anxious to do a lot of things — just practice, put my helmet back on,” Richardson said, via the team’s website. “It’s just taking it step by step, day by day and today we had a game and it just felt good being out there again.”
The results of the plays will matter more in the weeks to come, but simply getting Richardson into and out of a game without any injury issue was a worthwhile milestone for the first week of the regular season.