Head coach Shane Steichen said on Wednesday that quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. would not be activated from injured reserve for the Colts' Week 18 game against the Houston Texans. Steichen said Richardson, who sustained a fractured orbital bone in a freak accident during pregame warmups in Week 6, is still dealing with vision limitations from the injury.
"Had a conversation in my office yesterday with him, it was great," Steichen said. "He's still got the vision limitations, it's just the smart thing. Obviously, you put him out there with vision limitations and something happens, not a good idea."
The Colts opened Richardson's 21-day practice window to be activated from injured reserve on Dec. 18 and he has been a limited participant in practices since then.
"He can run around and throw and stuff, it's just the vision limitations that he has right now," Steichen said. "Think about it, if you don't have perfect eyesight and something happens, you don't see someone and you get hit, that's not a good thing. So we just want to be smart with it.
"It was a freak accident that happened, and like I said, I had a long conversation with him in my office yesterday and I feel for him. Because it is, it's a terrible thing that happened. You never want it to happen, you don't know why things happen, but he's been in good spirits and he's battling like crazy and hopefully everything comes back good and he'll be good."
Richardson said on Wednesday that while his eyesight has improved since October, when the accident occurred, his eye is still not "100 percent."
"Everything downfield, not going to be a problem," Richardson explained. "Everything more so within the foot radius of my box, that's more so the toughest part."
"In general, my eyesight has been improving, especially from when it first happened," he added. "But every day is going to be a day for improvement or healing. Obviously, my eye's not 100 percent, but it's getting there day by day...when it comes to football, I feel pretty good."
Richardson said this kind of healing and adjustment period was expected, and his doctors told him it would take time to get back to normal. With that, he remains in good spirits about his health and his future in football.
"I feel like everything's going to be pretty good," Richardson said. "They told me everything's healed up and I've been living daily life pretty good. I can't complain."
"The biggest thing for him is to make sure that vision comes back fully, and we go from there," Steichen said. "He's a talented player, very talented, can make all the throws and run around and make plays. So just really praying for his health right now."
Check back later for Wednesday's full practice report.
