If there ever were a quarterback competition in Indianapolis, it’s officially over.
Shane Steichen named rookie Anthony Richardson the Colts’ starting quarterback on Tuesday.
Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of this year’s draft, had been working plenty with Indianapolis’ starters on offense. He took the first reps of Saturday’s preseason game, playing 29 snaps in that contest. He finished 7-of-12 passing for 67 yards with an interception. He also took two carries for 7 yards.
From ownership down, the Colts have been clear since drafting Richardson that they’d like him to play as a rookie to further his development. To that end, doing away with the pretense of a competition now will allow Indianapolis to focus solely on getting Richardson ready to play.
Richardson had been rotating in with the first team with quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Richardson will make his Week One debut at home against the Jaguars on Sept. 10.