Anthony Richardson Injury Update: When Will QB Return to Colts?

There are no guarantees that Anthony Richardson will be the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of the NFL season, when they host the Miami Dolphins. Indy brought in Daniel Jones via free agency and the former New York Giants QB will compete with Richardson for the starting job this season.

That competition was set to begin in mini-camp, but Richardson had soreness in his throwing shoulder. Colts fans and fantasy football owners are now wondering when will Richardson return and be back on the field? Below, we will deliver a Richardson injury update and dish out a potential date for his return.

🩹 When will Anthony Richardson return and be back with Colts?

Richardson had AC joint surgery in his right shoulder during his rookie year. The former Florida star complained of soreness in that same shoulder in early June of this year, and he sat out Colts minicamp as a result.

So, will Richardson be healthy enough to compete with Jones in training camp?

Apparently so, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explained on June 13.

“[Richardson] had a right shoulder injury. It was a somewhat similar injury to what he had before,” Rapoport said. “He got it checked out and got a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, one of the more respected voices in the medical community in the NFL. It’s just rest and recuperation. No surgery. [Richardson] is expected to be fine by training camp. “This is a very good thing for the Colts. Because what they want is health and a real competition at quarterback. It sounds like they’ll get it."

Here is a look at key dates for the Colts coming up. Richardson is expected to report to training camp in Westfield, Indiana on Tuesday, July 22 with the rest of the Colts veterans.

• Tuesday, July 22: First day of Colts training camp for veteran players
• Thursday, Aug. 7: Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens preseason game
• Saturday, Aug. 16: Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts preseason game
• Saturday, Aug. 23: Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals preseason game
• Sunday, Sept. 7: Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts preseason game

This year’s Colts training camp and the team’s preseason games should be full of intrigue, given the quarterback competition expected to take place between Richardson and Jones. With Richardson absent from Colts minicamp, Jones took first team reps.

“[Jones has] been great,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said in early June. “He’s done a really nice job for us acclimating to the offense, learning the system. Obviously, a smart guy. He understands it. He’s picked it up real nice and he’s done some good things so far.”

⏰ How long will Anthony Richardson be out?

This appears to be a mild AC joint sprain. Richardson is likely already close to being fully healed from this injury, as a mild sprain takes just 1-2 weeks to recover from.

During the regular season, if a quarterback sprains their AC joint they will often play the very next week. It is more of a pain tolerance issue than a worry that further damage could occur. 

This was the case for former New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr in the 2023 season. He sprained his AC joint in a Week 3 game against Green Bay and then played the next week against Tampa Bay.

Given that Richardson has already had AC joint surgery, however, the Colts will surely give the former fourth overall pick all the time he needs to fully heal. Richardson needed surgery in 2023 after suffering a Grade 3 AC joint tear. The injury ended his rookie campaign.

Richardson played in just four games in 2023, and played in just 11 games last season. Last year had more to do with poor play than injury, as the Colts chose to start veteran Joe Flacco over Richardson in several games. Richardson threw for 1,814 yards and 8 TDs, while throwing 13 INTs last season. He rushed for 499 yards and 6 TDs.

Colts betting

The Colts are not exactly a Super Bowl odds favorite as they are currently +8500, according to our best NFL betting sites. Indy has NFL Playoff odds of +186 and has a projected win total of 5.5.

Richardson has longshot NFL MVP odds of +10000.