Colts QB Anthony Richardson has surgery on orbital fracture, hopes to return this season: Sources
Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, lost a duel with Daniel Jones during training camp for the Colts’ starting quarterback position. Logan Bowles / Getty Images
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. had surgery last Monday to repair an orbital fracture he sustained during pregame warmups in Week 6, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday. The hope is that Richardson can return this season, the sources said.
Richardson’s orbital fracture was the result of a “freak accident” that involved a stretching band, per sources. The band was attached to an apparatus in the locker room, but when Richardson pulled the band to stretch his body, the apparatus broke, and a piece of it recoiled and hit Richardson in the face at a high rate of speed, the sources explained. He was taken to a local hospital and discharged the same day.
Richardson was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 13, and he is required to miss at least three more games. The earliest he could return is in Week 12 at Kansas City. The Colts signed veteran Brett Rypien to fill out their QB room in Richardson’s absence. Rypien, 29, is the third-stringer behind starter Daniel Jones and backup Riley Leonard, whom Indianapolis selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Friday that Richardson is “just recovering right now,” and he didn’t have a timeline for the quarterback’s return.
Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, dueled with Jones during training camp for the Colts’ QB1 title. Jones, who was released by the Giants last year and signed with the Colts in free agency, ultimately won the job and is leading the highest scoring offense in the NFL at 33.1 points per game entering Week 8.
The 6-1 Colts are also the only team in the NFL with one loss (and zero ties), and they’ll look to remain undefeated in the AFC when they host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon. Indianapolis won 41-20 at Tennessee in Week 3.
Oct 26, 2025
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