General manager Chris Ballard mentioned that the Indianapolis Colts need to bring in competition for Anthony Richardson this offseason. Could free agent Justin Fields be an option for the Colts?
Tyler Brooke of the 33rd Football Team recently selected four top landing spots for Fields if he doesn’t return to Pittsburgh, which according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is still in play.
Among the teams that Brooke mentioned with the Colts were the Ravens, Raiders, and Rams.
“Fields could come to Indianapolis and bring a similar skill set to Richardson, utilizing his legs and arm talent to run the scheme that Shane Steichen has been building out during the last couple of seasons,” wrote Brooke. “It also might be Fields’ best chance of playing as a preferred backup, either due to injury or performance.”
Fields was the Steelers’ starting quarterback for the first six games of the 2024 season while Russell Wilson was injured.
Compared to his time in Chicago, Fields was much more efficient, completing 65% of his passes at a modest 6.8 yards per attempt with five touchdowns to one interception in Pittsburgh’s run first offense. Fields would rank 25th in average depth of target out of 44 eligible quarterbacks in 2024.
With Richardson navigating injuries during his first two seasons along with inconsistent play when on the field, Ballard said during his season-ending press conference that bringing in competition would be on the Colts’ to-do list this offseason.
“We knew when we took him it was going to be a roller coaster,” Ballard said of Richardson. “The number one thing we have to figure out and have to work through is he’s got to stay healthy. That, to me, is the biggest question.
“We have to have competition at the position because competition makes you better and because he’s not proven he can stay healthy for 17 games.”
Now, how the Colts plan to go about doing that we don’t have that answer. Will they look to free agency? Would Ballard spend an early or mid-round pick on a quarterback?
This is a massive decision, not only because the need to win now for the Colts and Ballard is extremely high and improved quarterback play is required to do that, but if Richardson loses the competition and is the backup, that’s a sign that his time with Indianapolis could be winding down.
