One way Colts' Anthony Richardson can better protect himself this season

Quarterback Anthony Richardson needing to better protect himself coming off his injury-shortened rookie season has been a hot Indianapolis Colts topic through the preseason.

Colts quarterbacks coach Cam Turner recently noted how Richardson improving one aspect of his game could help keep the signal-caller on the field for more than a handful of contests this coming fall.

"There’s been multiple of those moments (in training camp) where he’ll get his eyes around, see the defense after the play fake, nothing’s there, check it down to the back immediately," Turner recently told Ted Nguyen of The Athletic. "And those plays, I think, are huge. Not the ones where he’s throwing it 60 yards for the post, those are cool, but it’s the ones where nothing’s there, and he makes a good decision, and you still get eight, 10 yards with the check-down — those are impressive to me."

As much as Colts as head coach Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and even team owner Jim Irsay have insisted they won't limit how often Richardson attempts to torch opposing defenses with his legs, logic suggests everyone involved would benefit from the fourth pick of the 2023 draft taking fewer hits than he did during his rookie campaign.

Richardson was shaken up in the closing minutes of his regular-season debut before he suffered a concussion in Week 2. He then went down with a campaign-ending shoulder injury in his fourth game. In total, he attempted only 84 regular-season passes.

Nguyen mentioned that "the quarterback run game will be a big part" of Steichen's offense regardless of concerns related to Richardson missing time due to future injuries. Thus, it's vital that the 22-year-old welcomes opportunities to check the ball down in certain instances.

"These days we can kind of get access to tape, any sort of tape we want, pretty quickly," Cooter told Nguyen about how Steichen’s staff locates option plays meant to feature Richardson's unique gifts. "So if some college team runs a pretty cool play, it gets our attention somehow. And even high school teams that have certain things they do that are really unique or really interesting, that’s gotten our attention over the last couple years."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Richardson fourth among the betting favorites at +650 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award for the upcoming season. Before he can be considered a legitimate candidate for that honor, he'll first need to show he can both start and finish Indianapolis' Week 1 game versus the Houston Texans on Sept. 8.