As the NFL trade deadline nears, the Cleveland Browns must be the team to call the Indianapolis Colts on their newly benched quarterback Anthony Richardson.
After drafting him with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Colts are already moving Richardson to the bench for former Browns fan favorite Joe Flacco. This is on the heels of a loss to the Houston Texans and a rough start to his 2024 campaign after returning from a shoulder injury.
While many thought this would be a short-term benching after Richardson voluntarily subbed himself off the field, Colts head coach Shane Steichen has iterated that Flacco will start the rest of the season.
This means the Colts have no franchise quarterback and are effectively giving up on the highly talented Richardson. They are also tanking his trade value in the meantime as the NFL trade deadline nears.
The Browns must be on the phone about the quarterback who has the tools we have never seen before with Cam Newton being his closest athletic comparison. He has perhaps the strongest arm in the NFL, up there with Josh Allen. He runs a 4.43 40-yard dash.
Are there areas of his game that need to be worked on and improved? Absolutely. But if the cost is right, why shouldn’t the Browns be the ones go give him that time and space? The risk is well worth the reward.
If the Browns want to navigate their way out of the Deshaun Watson contract, they are going to have to do it with a quarterback on a cheap contract. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is not going to be that player. That is quite obvious.
The Browns could (and should bring back Jameis Winston on a similar deal in 2025 if he continues to play well. He will likely act as a bridge quarterback for either a rookie quarterback in 2025 or until the Browns draft a new young gunslinger in 2026.
Why couldn’t he be a bridge for Richardson, who is just 22 years old and has two years left on his contract (plus a potential fifth-year option), until he is ready to see the NFL field again? He has some issues to handle on his end with his accuracy and some off-season reworking on his upper body mechanics, but the tools are too good to give up on.
Besides, the 2025 NFL draft crop of quarterbacks is a subpar one. Outside of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders there is not a quarterback that has proven worthy of being a first round pick. When looking at this crop of quarterbacks as well, Richardson is younger than Sanders, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and is just three days older than Miami’s Cam Ward.
Trading a potential third round pick, a round where the Browns have picked up an extra selection after the trade of Amari Cooper, for Richardson is a far better option than using a first round pick on any of these rookie quarterbacks. It’s certainly better than trading up to get one if the Browns continue to win with Winston.
Could he have handled the situation where he subbed himself out for a play against the Houston Texans better? Absolutely. However, he is young and has effectively played just 20 games since high school.
The traits are simply too jarring to give up on in just this short amount of time after selecting him with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
An Anthony Richardson revenge tour may just be on the horizon, and the Browns should be the one to host it.
