Trainer: Colts QB Anthony Richardson looks ‘better than he’s ever looked’

As Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson returns for 2024, could he make a massive Year 2 leap?

Richardson "looks better than he's ever looked" coming out of the offseason, according to one of his trainers, private quarterback coach Will Hewlett of CORTX Sports Performance. As Richardson has built his right shoulder back up from injury, he's increased the spin rate on his throws, allowing passes to travel more efficiently and better cut through wind in possible bad weather games. The increased spin rate also means potentially easier balls to catch for his teammates. 

The Colts start training camp on Thursday, and Richardson isn't expected to have any limitations, according to general manager Chris Ballard. The former No. 4 overall pick was held out of the final day of mandatory minicamp in June due to soreness in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder. His rookie season ended in just 173 snaps after suffering an AC joint sprain against the Tennessee Titans. 

"He's just tightened things up in a really good way," Hewlett told FOX Sports. "He had a ball that hit an RPM [revolutions per minute] of like the high 700s. The NFL standard is 600, so if you're over 600, you're safe. You're in a good spot. … So it jumped over 150 RPMs [above that] on certain throws, which is pretty insane actually. So [that's] a really good indicator that things are clicking really, really well for him. And just with his extreme athleticism and gifts that he has, when it's all put together, it looks as good as any quarterback I've ever seen."

While changes to Richardson's throwing motion won't be noticeable to the casual fan, Hewlett said the consistency of his passes has also improved, meaning the variance between his worst and best throws has