Anthony Richardson’s sophomore season with the Indianapolis Colts went about as poorly as anyone could have envisioned.
It was filled with more injuries, him taking himself out of a game due to fatigue, an 8:12 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and a ghastly 47.7 percent completion percentage.
Daniel Jones was signed in free agency as the front office was open about the team needing to bring in competition for Richardson, which could worry some fans and media members, but Nick Cross isn’t one of them and recently raved about Richardson despite the year he just had.
NFL Network shared a clip on X Monday morning of Colts safety Nick Cross heaping praise upon his quarterback and stating that he still fully believes in him.
“He’s a young guy, he’s 22 years old, someone who has a very, very bright future ahead, someone who I wholeheartedly believe in. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when."@Colts S @Nick_Cross26 believes that QB Anthony Richardson will succeed in the league. pic.twitter.com/cxegaXh9Mv
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 14, 2025
Cross added that many legendary quarterbacks had their own struggles when they were young, including Peyton Manning, who led the league in interceptions, and Aaron Rodgers, who sat behind Brett Favre for years.
Cross is a third-year safety out of Maryland and blossomed into one of the better young safeties in the league for the Colts’ defense this past year, accumulating 146 tackles, five pass deflections, three interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble.
Richardson is about to turn 23 and is heading into a crucial third year with the organization, and it’s getting to the point where he has to show true sustained promise or the Colts could consider that they made the wrong choice with that fourth overall pick in 2023.
He was seen as a project quarterback when he was drafted, but the Colts started him right away, and it looks like the wrong move in hindsight, but there’s no going back now.
He still has all the talent in the world, and we’ll see if he can show that talent off more often in 2025.
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