Colts’ recent moves are based on the idea that Anthony Richardson can shoulder the load

The Colts have focused on retaining most of last year’s team with the thought that Richardson will propel them forward.

Anthony Richardson, of the Indianapolis Colts, was on full display during first round action of the NCAA basketball tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday. Images of him on the jumbotron got the fans going inside the fieldhouse. Then, sights of him swinging his arm 360 degrees made fans on the internet go wild. After witnessing him in a sling for the majority of his rookie campaign, watching that full rotation was a thing of beauty. For Richardson’s sake, he better hope his back is feeling as good as his shoulder because the Colts are looking for him to carry the team to new heights.

With Chris Ballard putting on another master class in offseason inactivity outside of the organization, the roster remains essentially untouched from last year’s 9-8 team. While fans may bemoan this approach, for those on the inside, it appears to be by design.

Richardson making a leap is far and away what all fans of the franchise want to see next year. Last year was a like teaser trailer for a movie that doesn’t come out for ten months. We got a glimpse of what he is capable of, wanted more, and then were devastated by an injury that cut a promising start short. All of that, however, is built on hopes, dreams, and potential.

The glimpse we got looked good, but that was all we have to go on. Yes, people in the building got to see more and have a better understanding of what Richardson can truly be. To build the roster the way they are though, they need to be right. If they are wrong, this season could be rough. To put the weight of an NFL team on your second year quarterback who played less than a quarter of his rookie year, seems misguided when you have the resources to improve the overall roster but have not taken steps to do so at this point.

Perhaps, the idea is for Richardson to develop into a lockdown corner too since that position has been neglected. Maybe, the Colts feel that the best defense is a good offense. The thought could be that Richardson will keep the offense on the field so much that the other team simply won’t get enough possessions to gash a porous Colts defense. Whatever the reasoning, the Colts believe they have the man in place to vault last year’s team to the playoffs without any upgrades. Let’s just hope they are right.