Anthony Richardson's First Preseason Game of 2025 Ends Prematurely

Anthony Richardson's First Preseason Game of 2025 Ends Prematurely originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Week 1 of the 2025 NFL preseason began on Thursday with three games being played after the Hall of Fame Game kicked off the year last week. Thursday's slate included the Indianapolis Colts taking on the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC battle. This marked the beginning of quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr.'s third professional season.

The Colts selected Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after he spent three seasons with the Florida Gators.

After appearing in just 15 games over the past two years, partly because of injuries, Richardson's 2025 began with an early exit in the first quarter due to a scary scene.

Richardson was removed in the Colts' 24-16 loss to the Ravens on Thursday night with a dislocated pinkie on his right (throwing) hand, per ESPN's Stephen Holder. He was sacked and brought to the ground hard by Baltimore linebacker David Ojabo. The TV cameras showed his pinkie pointing in an awkward direction.

The timetable for Richardson's recovery and return is unclear, but this injury comes at a bad time for the former Florida star. He is in the midst of a tightly contested position battle for the starting quarterback spot with Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts this offseason.

Richardson has had trouble staying on the field through his first two NFL seasons. He has missed 16 total games due to injury, 12 of which came during his rookie year because of a right shoulder sprain.

In 11 starts last season, the 6-foot-4, 244-pound quarterback threw for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also ran for just under 500 yards and six scores on the ground.

During his junior year at Florida in 2022, Richardson had 26 total touchdowns while throwing for over 2,500 yards. This dual-threat ability led to Richardson being Florida's highest-drafted quarterback since Steve Spurrier went third overall in 1967.

While the upside and promise are certainly there for Richardson, he has time and again shown an inability to stay on the field. Gators and Colts fans alike hope this injury won't keep him out for too long.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.