INDIANAPOLIS — The scar underneath the right eye of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. is a reminder of how far he’s come. The “vision limitations,” according to Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen, are a reminder of how much farther he still has to go.
Richardson practiced Thursday for the first time since suffering an orbital fracture during a pregame warmup accident in Week 6. The damage was so severe that the QB was placed on injured reserve and sidelined for more than two months.
“Sitting at home, it’s not fun. It’s really boring,” Richardson said before practicing for the first time since Oct. 10. “Not being in the building as much when it first happened, (was) really boring. Not being around my teammates, not being able to go to the stadium and all that was really boring, but I thank God for being able to go out there and practice.”
Richardson, the 2023 No. 4 pick, was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice after the Colts opened his 21-day return-to-play window. The 23-year-old is technically still on IR and hopes to be available to play again this season, but he and Steichen were noncommittal about him being elevated to the active roster.
Steichen said Richardson definitely wouldn’t be activated for next week’s Monday night showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. Philip Rivers, 44, will start his second straight game for the Colts while the team continues to monitor Richardson’s progress and, more specifically, his vision.
Steichen explained that Richardson was cleared for practice because the orbital bone around his eye is healed. But the eye itself is not 100 percent, and whether his vision will return to its pre-injury form remains to be seen.
“He still has some vision limitations in his eye,” Steichen said. “So, we’re going to get him back on the practice field, get him throwing, doing some scout team reps. It’s just something that he’s going to have to manage through the process.”
Said Richardson: “There’s not really major limitations. It’s just a little different because of the impact that happened to my eye, but most of it’s really the same. I’m still able to move around the same and do everything I need to do.”
Richardson declined to explain what exactly led to his orbital fracture just hours before the Colts hosted the Arizona Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 12. He only conceded that when he was preparing for the contest, “something just freaky just happened with the (stretching) band and the lockers.” Pressed further on the topic, Richardson didn’t offer much more.
“I was warming up, and my routine didn’t go the right way,” Richardson said. “Something impacted my face, broke my face and messed up my eye a little bit, but I’m all good.”
Although Richardson kept the details of the accident close to the vest, league sources helped fill in some of the gaps. According to those sources, Richardson attached a stretching band to a rod in a locker and intended to use the rod for resistance so that he could stretch. However, when he pulled the stretching band, the rod broke. A piece of the rod then recoiled with the band and smashed into Richardson’s face, leaving it fractured and bloodied. He was subsequently taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
Richardson said he needed about “six to eight” stitches to close the cut underneath his right eye, which is now a scar. He underwent surgery Oct. 20 and just started throwing again about a week ago, adding that he never thought his career was in jeopardy. Steichen praised Richardson for his poise throughout a difficult rehab that affected his day-to-day life beyond football.
“Obviously, that was a freak incident that happened in the locker room,” Steichen said. “So, like I said, it’s good to get him back out there. That’ll be great. He’s handled it really well with grace and dignity and all those different things, but he’s been doing it the right way, getting back in here, getting back into the fold and working out. It’s been good.”
Richardson wore protective goggles over his eyes when he watched practice last week, but he did not wear them Thursday when he participated. He said he would only wear a visor in his helmet, as he has in the past.
Asked if he plans to play again this season, Richardson said he “would love to,” but made it clear that he won’t rush his recovery. He emphasized that he’s grateful to return to the gridiron in any capacity, evidenced by the big smile he wore as he strapped on his helmet.
“I don’t necessarily need (football) for confidence, but just for my regular lifestyle, I need to be back on the field,” Richardson said. “I love playing football. I’ve been doing this since I was 2, and it’s just something I love doing. I just love being in here with my teammates. Originally, they told me I was gonna have to wait until after the season to see how my eye healed up, and luckily I got cleared this month.”
Richardson entered the season as the Colts’ backup QB after losing the starting job to Daniel Jones in training camp. However, when Jones tore his right Achilles in Week 14, Richardson was on the IR and not available to take the starting role.
In Richardson’s absence, Steichen called Rivers and coaxed him out of a nearly five-year retirement. Rivers, who worked with Steichen for eight years with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, was 18-of-27 passing for 120 yards, one TD and one pick in an 18-16 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The eight-time Pro Bowler averaged just 1.4 air yards per completion and nine of his completions were behind the line of scrimmage. Asked if he has concerns about making longer throws, Rivers was adamant that he could be more effective in that area against the 49ers if the matchup requires it.
“Last week, it almost played out exactly how we planned it. … That game was the plan that we had, ” Rivers said. “I don’t feel really any limitations pushing the ball down the field. Am I gonna throw it 60 yards? No, but I can’t name many times I ever did that anyway. But if you get it out on time and the things that we can do, I don’t think that there’s like, ‘Oh, we can’t call this,’ or ‘We can’t call that.’”
The Colts have lost four straight games, but they still have a 98 percent chance to make the playoffs if they win their last three, per The Athletic’s playoff simulator. However, if they lose to the 49ers, their postseason hopes would drop to 41 percent.