When Should Anthony Richardson Start Again?

The Indianapolis Colts made the controversial decision to bench sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson on Tuesday. Joe Flacco, the 39-year-old veteran, will start Sunday night's primetime game versus the Minnesota Vikings. This should be a short-term reset for Richardson. He should return to the starting lineup against the New York Jets in Week 11.

The decision arrived after Richardson admitted to yanking himself from Sunday’s defeat to the Houston Texans because he was tired. Richardson eventually returned, finishing 10-of-32 for 175 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Reports claim head coach Shane Steichen made the decision based on on-field play and on-field play alone.

It would be understandable if the Colts are frustrated with Richardson's performances. His completion percentage of 44.4% is the lowest in the league, even lower than totally ineffective backup quarterbacks Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley. The 4-4 Colts remain in the postseason hunt and Flacco gives them a better opportunity to win now.

With that said, it's difficult to imagine that Richardson's decision to momentarily bench himself due to exhaustion played no role in Steichen's decision. It was one of the strangest occurrences we can recall in recent memory. In a violent, physical sport, teammates place their trust in the players to the left and right of them. Locker-room morale is risked when the supposed franchise quarterback is making selfish decisions, and re-earning that trust may not be straightforward. Richardson's puzzling decision is unlikely to have gone over well with his teammates.

If Richardson's on-field performances are truly the lone reason behind his benching, then it's extremely shortsighted. The Colts understood they drafted a developmental quarterback when they selected Richardson, who made 13 career starts at Florida in college, at No. 4 overall. Growing pains were expected, and nothing about his sophomore showings have been outside the norm of expectancy. His development should be more important than a potentially unimpressive postseason berth.

Furthermore, Richardson appeared in four contests as a rookie after suffering multiple injuries, the final of which was a season-ending shoulder shoulder one. He's essentially still a rookie, an incredibly inexperienced one that unsurprisingly alternates between sensational plays and mind-numbing ones. Richardson's stint on the sideline could lead to positive or negative outcomes. He could learn from watching Flacco prepare and be better-suited to make smart decisions when he returns. Or the Colts could be risking his confidence, something not all young quarterbacks recover from.

If the Colts wanted Richardson to sit and observe behind a veteran quarterback, a la Flacco, then that decision should have been made during his rookie campaign before he was named Steichen's Week 1 starter. Heck, Steichen could have made that decision again this season. The toothpaste can't be put back in the bottle.

The proposed Week 11 timeline would offer Richardson approximately a two-week period on the sidelines to reset his expectations. The Colts possess a difficult matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. It seems unnecessary for Richardson to return within the next two contests. Targeting the struggling Jets in Week 11 would make tangible sense.

The alternate choice sees Richardson replace Flacco after the late-season Week 14 bye. That would place Richardson on the sidelines for approximately seven weeks and five games. His absence shouldn't be that lengthy, but it could be a timeline that garners consideration from Jim Irsay, Chris Ballard, and Steichen.

If Steichen's decision is truly performance-based, perhaps Flacco will lead them to a 9-8 record, earning the right to lose to the Chiefs, Bills, or Ravens in the wild-card round. Is that more important than prioritizing Richardson's development? If Steichen is teaching Richardson a hard-learned lesson following Sunday's selfish and naive decision, then the sophomore QB brought that fate upon himself. Regardless, the Colts must reinsert their ascending quarterback into the lineup shortly to collect more data points to answer the most important question facing the franchise.