Colts Name Rookie Week 1 Starter: Texans’ C.J. Stroud Next?

The Colts make their decision on Anthony Richardson. Will the Houston Texans name another rookie, C.J. Stroud, their starting quarterback for the 2023 season?

HOUSTON — The Indianapolis Colts have named Anthony Richardson their Week 1 starting quarterback. Coach Shane Steichen made the announcement Tuesday morning, per the Horseshoe Huddle.

The Colts' decision came three days after Richardson's debut against the Buffalo Bills. The 21-year-old finished 7-for-12 for 67 yards and one interception. The Colts fell 23-19 to the Bills.

Richardson is the second rookie quarterback to win a starting job for the 2023 season. The first was Bryce Young, who the Carolina Panthers drafted No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

C.J. Stroud can become the third rookie to receive the honor. But as the Houston Texans enter the second week of the preseason, coach DeMeco Ryans has not named a starting quarterback.

Stroud has spent the previous week of training camp taking all first-team reps over the incumbent Davis Mills, who started 15 out of 17 games for the Texans last season. 

"As of right now on [Saturday], we haven’t discussed the reps as of yet," Ryans said. "We’re still just getting through practice. We’ll discuss the rep count and how we’ll go about that game after we go through the two practices with Miami. So, we’ll have an answer after that."

The Colts selected Richardson with the No. 4 pick of the draft. He entered the draft as an intriguing prospect who embodies the dual-threat quarterback of the modern day. 

In 2022, Richardson threw for 2,549 passing yards and 17 touchdowns for the Florida Gators. He also rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns.

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