The Indianapolis Colts sit at 0-1 and have some questions they need to answer. At the top of that list of questions is: what do they do with former top five draft pick with Trent Richardson?
Richardson has been dreadful since a solid rookie campaign with the Browns in which he totaled 1,317 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Browns saw this decline before anyone else and somehow turned their workhorse running back into a first-round pick.
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The Colts thought they were getting a steal, but instead they got a shell of a player that is being outplayed by the fragile Ahmad Bradshaw. It is time for the Colts to cut their losses and move on from Richardson.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has a theory as to why Richardson declined so quickly and it is a purely mental issue.
“The biggest difference in Richardson's game is that lack of anger that he ran with at Alabama. It's possible that he's overthinking and trying to analyze the field instead of reacting to it. It's also possible that subpar run-blocking has been at least partly responsible for his dip in production, and the film certainly backs up this theory.”
Richardson had six carries for 20 yards and three catches for 31 yards in the Colts Week 1 loss, but those aren’t the first-round pick numbers that Indianapolis needs. Since joining the Colts, Richardson has 478 yards in 15 games and only averages 2.9 yards per carry.
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The Colts could look to free agency for a fix at running back if they move past Richardson and decide to turn their trust to Bradshaw. Recently released running back LaMichael James comes to mind when thinking of a change of pace back that could fit into the Colts system.
Unfortunately for the Colts they invested in a fading star for the player he was and not the player he is today. Sure, Richardson could figure it out at some point, but though 15 games he is just not the player the Colts need him to be.
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The Colts have a prime opportunity to compete in the AFC considering they have Andrew Luck, but if they can't put a decent running game around him, they could be looking at a wasted opportunity.
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