Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor played two snaps together in 2023.
Returning from a 2022 high-ankle sprain, Taylor missed the first four games and played sparingly in his season debut, Oct. 8 vs. Tennessee. That’s also the game in which Richardson, the Colts’ first-round selection in the 2023 draft, sustained a season-ending shoulder injury.
But both will be full speed when the Colts host Houston on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) and head coach Shane Steichen is as curious as anyone to see them in the same backfield over a full game, and hopefully for the first 5-7 games.
“There’s a lot of curiosity there with those two guys, for sure,” Steichen told reporters Monday. “You guys have heard me say this a bunch, but I think we’ll find out a lot about those two guys and the rest of our team middle of the season – Week 5, Week 6, Week 7 on how they’re meshing and gelling, but I’m excited about those two guys. Just the explosiveness that they bring to our backfield is going to be huge for our success.”
Explosive success is something Taylor showed consistently in 2021, when he led the NFL in rushing yards (1,811), rushing yards per game (106.5), yards from scrimmage (2,171) and scrimmage touchdowns (20). But injuries have slowed the All-Pro each of the past two seasons.
Richardson, meanwhile, is not only fast – he ran 4.43 at the 2023 scouting combine – he’s also gigantic. At 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, he’s a dual threat unlike any starting quarterback.
Richardson (fourth overall) went two picks after Houston starter C.J. Stroud (second) — the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year — in the 2023 draft. They’ll also be on the same field Sunday.