Anthony Richardson hasn’t had the smoothest start to his NFL career. After a recent benching in favor of experienced backup Joe FlaccoMany teams have reportedly reached out to Indianapolis in hopes of acquiring the 22-year-old passer. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, “a trade is considered unlikely.”

There are several factors that contributed to Richardson’s benching. The league’s low completion rates on passes without pressure, under pressure, no blitz, blitz and open goals have brought to the surface many questions about his ability as a passer. Additionally, there are still concerns about his medical history after he missed all but four games his rookie season and missed two games this year due to injury.

The Colts’ decision to move forward with Flacco as the team’s starter could be due to two reasons: they believe Flacco gives them the best chance to win games this year, or they didn’t want to force Richardson to air his fight on national television to send. Regardless, an admission that he had to leave last week’s game due to exhaustion was seen as the “final straw” for the Colts, ultimately leading Richardson to the bench.

While protecting a quarterback’s feelings may seem like an unsatisfactory line of reasoning, it’s something we’ve seen before in the NFL. For rookies, franchises want to build the confidence of their young passers by giving them shots early to introduce them to the speed of the professional game. Sometimes when a young quarterback is struggling in a game and the team is down, we see the backup come in. This aims to keep the younger passer healthy while protecting his confidence from being damaged by an already beaten team. the better he is.

Likewise, some pundits, like CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, argue that the Colts could protect Richardson from a potentially disastrous matchup with the Vikings on a national stage for Sunday Night Football tonight. If they really don’t want to give up Richardson as the future of their franchise, they may have a vested interest in keeping his confidence high by avoiding tough matchups.

It also appears the Colts haven’t given up on Richardson’s long-term development. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, during a meeting with team brass, Richardson was given examples such as Jordan Love And Alex Smith – quarterbacks who found their way in the NFL after years. His team hasn’t given up on him as offensive and defensive captains and guards either Quenton Nelson and defensive equipment DeForest Bucknerboth felt the locker room believes in Richardson’s progress, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.

Across the league, many other team executives are questioning the Colts’ decision-making. In hindsight, some may use the right decision to keep Richardson on the bench as a rookie, not rush him onto the field and give him a chance to develop off the bench, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Others point out that while playing Flacco right now gives them a better chance to win, benching Richardson is short-sighted when it comes to future seasons.

This appears to be a microcosm of a larger problem in the NFL with quarterback development. Together with Bryce Young in Carolina, Richardson is the second 2023 top quarterback to be benched for a seasoned veteran this season. Especially as veteran quarterbacks who faltered early in their careers Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, Baker Mayfieldand even Justin FieldsAfter years of development finding success in better-fitting systems, we’re starting to see a return in the NFL to thinking that it might be best for rookies to sit and learn.

For now, that seems to be the intention in Indianapolis. The grizzled veteran Flacco will take charge of the offense tonight. Richardson will have the opportunity to get back to full health while watching and learning from a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has spent his career with five different teams. This benching should not be seen as the end of Richardson’s chances as a starter. Many believe he will take his place at some point with a first-team offense under center, and there are still those who believe that will happen in Indianapolis.