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It’s safe to say that Jonathan Taylor is a fan of Anthony Richardson. The former Colts All-Pro running back recently opened up about his team’s new quarterback, who was selected with the fourth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
Taylor hopes Richardson brings much-needed stability to a position that has been a revolving door since Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement in 2019. In fact, Taylor is optimistic that Richardson — who played both his arm and his legs during his last season with Florida — will become one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, while also making Indianapolis’ offense one of the more the competition makes. dynamic units.
“When you look at his skills, the sky is the limit for him,” Taylor said of Richardson during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated. “Now it’s all about coming in and absorbing the coaching aspect of it. He needs to absorb the little nuggets of knowledge that our veterans are going to give him.
“I know that helped me when I was a rookie in this league. That’s how I came into my own. When he does that, the sky is the limit for Anthony Richardson.”
Taylor compared Richardson to former league MVP Cam Newton and current Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Richardson grew up trying to align his game with Newton, who had done so in 2011 one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history with 4,000 passing yards and 38 total touchdowns. Hurts is coming off a 2022 season where he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. He scored four touchdowns in Philadelphia’s three-point loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
Taylor believes Richardson could have similar success in Indianapolis.
“With today’s NFL coaching, Richardson will take the mental component of his game to the next level,” Taylor said. “Coach Shane Steichen is a great guy for our job. Like I said before, as long as he [Richardson] comes in willing to take in the information, it gets really scary out there on the field for the opposing defense.
It wasn’t too long ago that Taylor was a first pick tasked with reviving a dormant offense. After a slow start, Taylor finished his rookie season with 1,169 rushing yards at an average of five yards per carry. His success helped the Colts make the playoffs in their lone season with Philip Rivers under center.
Taylor said he will do his part to ensure Richardson can have similar success during his rookie season.
“I’m letting Richardson know I’m here and I’ll support him no matter what,” he said. “Whether that means I need to run RPOs, in pass protection, or he needs someone as an outlet in the passing game. It could just mean I’m efficient in the run game for him.
“We’re all here to help everyone who starts quarterback for us. That’s how we’re designing this offense. Especially with Richardson as a rookie, we need to make sure this is a comfortable environment for him.”
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