Colts start Gardner Minshew over Anthony Richardson in preseason game vs Bears

Anthony Richardson has already won the quarterback competition in Indianapolis and is preparing to start the Colts’ season opener next month. But it appears he won’t start Saturday’s second preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

According to the Indianapolis Star’s Greg Doyel, Richardson was in the end zone with his helmet off during warm-ups as Gardner Minshew participated. That indicated the latter would start the game — meaning Richardson would be on the sidelines at least to start.

When the game started, it was Minshew who took the first snaps. Richardson stayed on the sideline.

Richardson participated in Indianapolis’ first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, throwing for 67 yards on 7-of-12 passing and an interception. He also took two carries for seven yards as part of the running game.

The Colts and the Bears took part in joint practices this week ahead of the preseason game. Chicago previously announced most of its starters, including quarterback Justin Fields, wouldn’t play based on what the coaches saw in joint practice. It appears the Indianapolis staff felt the same way about Richardson and its starting players.

Anthony Richardson will be the Colts’ starting quarterback this year

The Colts selected Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick out of Florida. He and Minshew were competing for the starting job, and Steichen saw enough to declare Richardson the starter before preseason officially got underway.

As for his reasoning, Steichen pointed to the strides he made during training camp, which showed a high upside.

“Anthony’s just been progressing,” Steichen said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN. “The growth he’s shown. Then, obviously, going into Buffalo, playing against a lot of their starters, he showed great signs of improvement. I like the things he did, and it’s an opportunity now for him to get a lot more with the [starters] moving forward, and we go from there.”

As for Richardson, he didn’t necessarily expect to get the job so soon. That said, he said he’s ready to step up as a leader in the locker room and help lift up the rest of the roster.

“Honestly, I was shocked,” Richardson said, per WISH-TV. “I’ve been grinding, putting in the work to try to get the title, but it’s not really all about the title.

“I’m just trying to make sure I’m ready for the team. Despite being labeled as QB1 I’ve still got other guys in that room helping me to get to that standard. I’m forever thankful for them.”