Richardson, who was named the team’s QB1 on Aug. 15, and the Colts struggled woefully on their first drive, but when the 2023 NFL Draft’s No. 4 pick started working in a hurry-up offense in the second series, he looked at home. He was 2 of 2 for 36 yards on his second drive, which culminated with a Deon Jackson 3-yard touchdown run. On the third series, Richardson was 2 of 3 for 19 yards after kickstarting the march with a 16-yard run. An Evan Hull 1-yard TD concluded a 10-play, 75-yard march.
Unsurprisingly, Richardson was inaccurate at times while flexing the might of his arm. His scrambling was of the sensational variety, though.
The 250-pounder has shown he can run like a bull through would-be tacklers, but his escapability and nimbleness jumped out Thursday.
“Yeah, that’s one of his talents. To create those big plays outside the pocket,” Steichen said. “The scramble plays when guys are coming three-on-blitzes, obviously we’ve got to look at those and get those things picked up better. But just his ability to create outside the pocket is definitely going to help us.”